Brand new cougar (Puma concolor), known as mountain lion, panther, artist, puma, and you will catamount, ’s the prominent feline animal when you look at the United states.
Exactly like Tennessee’s crazy elk and you may buffalo, the fresh new cougar is actually extirpated regarding the condition inside the early 1900s because of overhunting and you can environment losses. Yet not, the cougar can be coming back so you can Tennessee. There had been certain affirmed sightings in the Tennessee.
The datehookup reviews new cougar is one of the family members Felidae (cat loved ones) which is about buy Carnivora. Which powerful predator selections away from 5 to 8 ? base in total length and you will weighs off 70 so you can 250 lbs, with people being larger than females.
People is actually highest easy pets having small heads. Its ears is black to your upper front side and tend to be brief and you can round without tufts out-of locks. The newest muzzle was white into prevent and you will black colored where it touches your head.
Cougars has a long heavier cylindrical end starting in total away from 20 so you’re able to 29 in, towards last couple of ins blackish in the color. Claws was retractable and are generally really seldom part of a song.
Cougar fur tends to be a substantial tan color towards the upper pieces that have white undersides. Slight differences tends to make the newest strong brown pet possess a reddish, yellowish, otherwise grayish tinge.
No black colored color stage (called melanistic) off an effective cougar enjoys ever started documented. There is certainly, not, documentation from melanistic jaguars (Panthera onca) one to inhabit Mexico and you can south to northern Argentina, along with melanistic leopards (Panthera pardus) in the Africa.
Brand new bobcat ’s the merely almost every other animal belonging to the pet (Felidae) household members that is available from inside the Tennessee. Bobcats vary from cougars within proportions, color, and you may end length. He is much smaller than cougars, starting for the lbs of ten in order to 40 weight, while a great cougar begins during the 70 pounds. The layer is not uniform into the color including the cougar’s however, was noted which have black colored places and you will lines. There is also pointed ears with hair tufts, unlike the brand new cougar. The newest bobcat’s tail looks “bobbed”, hence the fresh new animal’s name, and that’s generally step 3 to eight in long, which is very short in comparison with new tail of a great cougar.
Variety
The cougar uses up the essential detailed variety of one “” new world “” terrestrial mammal, on Canadian Yukon on southern suggestion away from South usa.
In the us, cougars are now living in the fresh west part and you will increase eastward as much as the newest western side of brand new Dakotas, Nebraska, and you will close to the east limitations out of Colorado and you can Colorado.
A survey published from the Log out-of Wildlife Administration in 2012 collected confirmed towns and cities away from cougars collected outside the established range throughout the 1990-2008.
The outcome of one’s analysis suggest that this new cougar is recolonizing brand new Midwest which have a selection expansion eastward. It’s widely reported one cougars take a trip countless kilometers from inside the look of new area.
The latest previous confirmed sightings within the Tennessee might be due to this variety expansion and you may long exploratory treks of the transient cougars.
Considering the fact that discover highest expanses anywhere between Tennessee while the situated populations, it should be well before cougars make their home here.
1 – LaRue, M. A great., Nielsen, C. K., Dowling, Yards., Miller, K., Wilson, B., Shaw, H. and you may Anderson, C. Roentgen. (2012), Cougars is recolonizing the brand new midwest: Research regarding cougar confirmations throughout 1990–2008. The brand new Diary off Creatures Administration, 76: 1364–1369. doi: /jwmg.396
Verified Sightings
Since , there are several verified sightings out of cougars when you look at the Tennessee. These are down the page and therefore are shown throughout the Tennessee Confirmed Cougar Sightings Chart. Whenever more verified sightings exists, they’ll certainly be additional appropriately.