Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
As with the young of other cats, the kittens' eyes are closed for the first ten days. The baby cougars
are spotted, and remain so until they're six months old. By the age of nine months, the young cougars
are capable of hunting on their own, but they usually remain with their mother for up to two years.
One of the most astonishing facets of cougar behavior is their vocal versatility. Few would imagine
that this great cat could chirp almost like a bird, yet a mother will use such sounds to communicate with
her kittens, for example. They also produce fairly elaborate whistling sounds that go up and down the
scale. Other cougar sounds are far less musical. One has been described as a rather raspy “ow” sound,
which, along with a sort of throaty coughing noise, is probably about as close as this big cat comes to a
true roar. Then there are growls and hisses, much like those of a house cat, though considerably louder.
Even this array of sounds fails to encompass the full range of cougar vocalizations. Females in heat
utter what some have described as a piercing scream, which Kenneth Logan prefers to call “caterwaul-
ing.” He describes this as being much like the cries of a house cat in heat, although considerably louder.
Having experienced this caterwauling at close range on a number of occasions, he believes that those
who describe it as a high-pitched scream have heard it at a distance, with trees or other obstacles filter-
ing out all but the highest tones. Because cougars are solitary and often live far apart, this loud yowling
probably aids the males in locating females in heat.
Finally, cougars have the virtue of being able to purr loudly and contentedly. Logan says he has been
in a cage with a purring cougar, and he describes the sound as “thunderous” at that range.
It's long been an article of faith that cougars don't attack people. That was never quite true, but cou-
gar attacks in the past were indeed extremely rare. During the past few years, though, the number of
cougar attacks on humans has escalated substantially. Three people have been killed by cougars in Co-
lorado, and a number of others have been mauled or stalked in several states within the past five or six
years. Though such attacks still don't represent a major threat to people, they're nonetheless disturbing.
Cougar experts believe the trend toward more cougar attacks has three causes. First, cougar pop-
ulations have increased greatly in some areas. Second, large numbers of homes, with their attendant
human activities, have invaded major blocks of prime cougar habitat. This situation naturally creates
many more opportunities for interactions between people and cougars. Third, halting all cougar hunting
in California has created cougar populations there that have little or no fear of humans.
None of this should cause people to have an inordinate fear of cougars. The number of cougar attacks
on humans is still very small, representing far less of a threat to human life than lightning or bee
stings—to say nothing of automobiles. Nevertheless, in view of the increasing number of attacks, it's
wise for anyone living or hiking in cougar country to know how to handle a confrontation with one of
the big predators. State wildlife agencies in the West usually have valuable information on this subject;
the California Department of Fish and Game, for example, has an excellent handout called “Living with
California Mountain Lions.”
Once widely persecuted as a varmint, and eliminated from the eastern portion of its range, the cou-
gar's future today looks reasonably bright. Although the big cats are hunted as game animals in several
states, hunting is closely regulated and in no way threatens cougar populations. The one serious danger
