Pumas

Puma (Puma concolor)

Mammal

Size: 2-3 ft at the shoulders

Habitat: Found in South and North America in forests and jungles

Mass: 120-220 lbs (male) 64-140 lbs (female)

Life span: 8-13 years of life

Food: They prey on a range of large and small mammals. It is one of the deadliest predator in North America

What Does The Puma Do: They keep the population of smaller animals down which help the community of farmers since they eat animals that could destroy the crops.

Conservation Status: Least Concern. Population decreasing lightly.

Cultural significance: The Puma is part of the Inca trinity. (Puma, Condor, Snake) The Puma is shown as patience and strength.

Stories:

From the Anthropocene Magazine

A Puma was found in Connecticut in 2011 after being hit by a car. It was thought to escaped from captivity because no puma were found in that area for more than a century. It was found out that the puma had not escaped and was a wild one. After further investigation they found out that the puma’s Dna matched with puma from more than 1500 miles away! The same Puma was actually found out to be the same one found on camera traps the year before in Michigan, Minnesota, and also Wisconsin!! This goes to show that puma’s travel a lot without having boundaries on where they go.

Citations:

http://bashfuladventurer.com/considering-the-incan-trinity-condor-puma-snake/

https://a-z-animals.com/animals/puma/

https://www.livescience.com/27267-pumas.html

http://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2016/11/one-cougars-incredible-story/