The fresh cougar (Puma concolor), also known as hill lion, panther, artist, puma, and catamount, is the premier feline creature within the United states.
The same as Tennessee’s nuts elk and you will buffalo, the new cougar is actually extirpated regarding county inside the early 1900s due to overhunting and habitat losings. not, the latest cougar is coming back in order to Tennessee. There had been specific verified sightings within the Tennessee.
The fresh new cougar belongs to the relatives Felidae (cat friends) that’s about purchase Carnivora. It effective predator ranges regarding 5 to eight ? base overall duration and weighs out of 70 to 250 pounds, having boys are larger than females.
Adults is actually highest smooth kitties which have small thoughts. The ears is black colored to the upper front side and tend to be brief and you can round and no tufts off hair. The brand new muzzle are white toward avoid and you may black where they matches your mind.
Cougars has actually a long heavier cylindrical end ranging in length of 20 in order to 31 in, with the last few inches blackish from inside the colour. Claws is actually retractable as they are extremely hardly ever section of a tune.
Cougar fur could be a strong 
bronze color to your top parts with white undersides. Slight distinctions makes the brand new strong brown pet features a red, yellowish, otherwise grayish tinge.
Zero black colored color stage (called melanistic) out-of a cougar have previously become noted. There’s, not, paperwork out of melanistic jaguars (Panthera onca) that live in Mexico and you will southern area so you’re able to north Argentina, along with melanistic leopards (Panthera pardus) inside the Africa.
The newest bobcat is the only almost every other creature belonging to the pet (Felidae) loved ones which can be found during the Tennessee. Bobcats vary from cougars within dimensions, coloration, and end duration. He is far smaller than cougars, starting for the lbs from 10 in order to 40 weight, while a great cougar begins within 70 weight. Their coat is not uniform within the colour such as the cougar’s but is marked having black colored locations and you may streaks. They likewise have directed ears which have tresses tufts, instead of the newest cougar. The latest bobcat’s end looks “bobbed”, and therefore brand new animal’s identity, that is usually step three to eight ins long, that is very short in comparison with the new end from a beneficial cougar.
Variety
The newest cougar occupies many extensive variety of any New world terrestrial mammal, throughout the Canadian Yukon to your southern idea regarding South america.
In the united states, cougars live-in this new west part and you can expand eastward as much as the fresh new western side of brand new Dakotas, Nebraska, and you can near the east boundaries from Tx and you can Colorado.
A study typed about Journal of Wildlife Management during the 2012 gathered affirmed towns and cities regarding cougars collected outside of its founded range while in the 1990-2008.
The outcomes of your study suggest that the cougar was recolonizing brand new Midwest having a variety extension eastward. It is well documented you to cougars travel countless kilometers during the lookup of brand new area.
Brand new previous verified sightings in the Tennessee could be a direct result this range expansion and you can a lot of time exploratory strolls by transient cougars.
Considering the fact that there are high expanses between Tennessee therefore the founded populations, it will be well before cougars make household right here.
1 – LaRue, Yards. An effective., Nielsen, C. K., Dowling, M., Miller, K., Wilson, B., Shaw, H. and you can Anderson, C. Roentgen. (2012), Cougars was recolonizing the brand new midwest: Data off cougar confirmations throughout the 1990–2008. The fresh Diary regarding Wildlife Administration, 76: 1364–1369. doi: /jwmg.396
Confirmed Sightings
Once the , there were a number of verified sightings out-of cougars inside Tennessee. These are the following and are generally presented on the Tennessee Affirmed Cougar Sightings Map. When way more verified sightings can be found, they’ll certainly be additional accordingly.