Why Do Cougars Scream? Cougars are lone predators with a reputation for stealth, sometimes called pumas or mountain lions. Cougars don’t roar as their lion cousins do. Rather, they let forth a scream that may make your hair stand on end.
What are Cougars?
The tops of cougars’ coats are often colored brownish-gray, reddish-brown, or yellowish-gray, while the undersides are noticeably milder tan in hue.
Because the areas around their mouths are white, their faces are also noticeably lighter than the rest of their bodies. Puma concolor, or fully mature male cougars, are larger than fully mature female cougars.
While the ladies typically range between 75 and 175 pounds, the males typically weigh between 175 and 200 pounds.
These primarily nocturnal cats typically live in marshes, mountains, grasslands, rainforests, and deserts, among other sorts of habitats.
If they reside in populated regions, they typically limit their activity to the early hours of the morning or right before dusk.
Why Do Cougars Scream?
The cougar cry is associated with the mating process. It’s commonly considered a sign of the heat cycle in female cougars. Cougars go through several periods of heat throughout the year.
Male cougars often yell in competition with one another for female attention. When two or more male cougars have their sights set on the same female, they frequently vocalize scarily.
When mating, cougars also let forth screams. Rather than warning of impending danger, cougar sounds are a fascinating form of animal communication.
Mating Calls: The main cause of such spine-tingling screams is the cougar’s romantic life. These high-pitched screeches are how female cougars let males know they’re available when they’re in heat.
It’s a broadcast over great distances, akin to exclaiming in the middle of nowhere, “Single and ready to mingle!”
Male Competition: Cougar screams aren’t limited to evenings spent by women. Screaming is also used by male cougars, although for a different purpose.
In competitive situations, when fighting for a female’s attention, males will scream to assert dominance and scare rivals. These screams may also help you find the female who is calling.
Evolutionary Advantage: The scream’s disturbing quality most likely serves an evolutionary function. More distance is covered by a loud, strident sound than by softer vocalizations.
This guarantees that the message travels great distances to reach prospective partners.
The stunning quality of the scream in certain situations may even provide cougars with a hunting edge by momentarily confusing their victim.
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What Do Cougars Eat?
Being a carnivore, the cougar must consume meat, but it will also consume any other animal it can catch, including big-hoofed mammals and insects.
Its main food sources include several types of deer, such as mule and white-tailed deer, elk, and even moose.
Bighorn sheep, horses, and domestic livestock, such as cattle and sheep, can also be its food sources.
With a powerful bite, the cougar can break the neck of some of its smaller prey, which gives it momentum to drag the animal to the ground.
While mothers caring for their young may kill every three days, kills are often believed to occur at a rate of one large mammal every two weeks.
Usually, the cat drags its kill to a site of its choosing, covers it with a brush, and comes back to eat over a few days. Since cougars rarely eat prey, they haven’t killed; they are often not scavengers.
Below is the breakdown of its diet:
Deer: In many areas, deer, especially mule and white-tailed deer, are the main source of food for cougars. As expert stalkers and ambush predators, cougars use their speed and stealth to hunt deer successfully.
Elk: Elk may make up a sizable portion of cougars’ diet in regions with high elk populations. Elk are a valuable source of meat for cougars, making them a valuable food source.
Bighorn Sheep: Bighorn sheep are another significant prey item for cougars in mountainous areas. These nimble hunters are well-suited to survive in the rough country where bighorn sheep usually live.
Small Mammals: In addition, cougars eat a range of smaller mammals, such as raccoons, mice, and rabbits.
When bigger food is in short supply, cougars can augment their diet with these smaller prey items, which are frequently easier to catch than larger ungulates.
Birds: Even though they are less frequent, cougars can pounce on birds, especially those that are ground-dwelling like quail, wild turkeys, and grouse.
Livestock: Conflicts may emerge when cougars prey on domestic livestock, such as sheep, goats, and calves, in regions where humans have encroached upon cougar habitat.
Predation on livestock, however, usually results not from a preference for domestic animals but rather from the restricted availability of natural prey.
Occasional Predators: When the chance presents itself, cougars have been observed to feed on lesser carnivores, foxes, and coyotes.
Are Cougars Dangerous?
In actuality, cougar assaults on people are extremely uncommon. Less than 20 people have died in North America from cougar encounters during the last century.
This is nothing compared to the risks of bee stings, lightning strikes, or even automobile accidents.
Because of their reclusive nature, cougars prefer to stay away from people. We are too big for them to consider us normal prey. Nonetheless, there are a few circumstances in which meetings may take place:
In Cougar Territory: There is a higher chance of encounters for those hiking or enjoying outdoor activities in locations where cougar activity is known to occur.
Identity Mistake: Young children might be mistaken for prey animals by cougars due to their small stature and high-pitched vocals.
Feeling Threatened: A cougar may launch an assault in self-defense if it perceives a person as cornering or posing a threat.
So, even though cougar assaults are uncommon, it’s advisable to exercise caution when in cougar country. The following safety advice is provided:
1). Take a group hike because there is safety in numbers and because you are less likely to be perceived as prey.
2. Make Noise: You can scare off cougars by talking loudly or by carrying a noisemaker.
3. Keep kids close by: Keep an eye on kids, especially when you’re around cougars.
4. If you’re assaulted, defend yourself: It’s not a good idea to play dead, despite what many people think. Give all your all to repel a cougar attack.
Differences Between a Cougar and a Mountain Lion
The distinction between a mountain lion and a cougar is nonexistent!
They belong to the same species. The common names for the American native Puma concolor big cat species are both cougar and mountain lion.
This cat has multiple names, depending on where you live. Whereas cougars and mountain lions are more abundant in North America, pumas are more common in South America.
In certain places, they’re even called different names, such as panther or catamount.
Thus, when someone talks about a cougar or a mountain lion, they are talking about the same amazing large mammal!
Even though a cougar’s terrifying cry could make you shudder, there’s an interesting communication mechanism hidden behind the terrifying noise.
These screams are communications intended specifically for the cougar social environment; they are not random cries.