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85-571: The Montgomery Zoo began as a small menagerie in 1920 in Oak Park in the Oak Park neighborhood, a residential district in Central, Montgomery. Initially started as a small children's zoo as a part of a local community park, the zoo housed alligators, monkeys, bears and assorted other animals. There was a small train and carousel for the children. The zoo closed down between 1960 and 1971 due to racial tensions, and an unwillingness to integrate. In 1972,

170-479: A barn with a flexible design to allow for the separation of individuals, and several enrichment items scattered across the exhibit that change on a regular basis. The African ungulates and elephants are placed within a panoramic view, and from the cafe all appear to share the same space. This exhibit displays: Another yard adjacent to the hoofstock houses a family of Reticulated giraffes and Abyssinian ground hornbills . The giraffes can be seen up close and fed from

255-454: A comprehensive literature review of more than 160 studies on cougar ecology, ecological interactions with 485 other species in cougar-inhabited ecosystems have been shown to involve different areas of interaction, ranging from the use of other species as food sources and prey, fear effects on potential prey, effects from carcass remains left behind, to competitive effects on other predator species in shared habitat. The most common research topic in

340-565: A female reaches estrous again, her offspring must disperse or the male will kill them. Males tend to disperse further than females. One study has shown a high mortality rate among cougars that travel farthest from their maternal range, often due to conflicts with other cougars. In a study area in New Mexico , males dispersed farther than females, traversed large expanses of non-cougar habitat and were probably most responsible for nuclear gene flow between habitat patches. Life expectancy in

425-766: A female's litter can have multiple paternities. Copulation is brief but frequent. Chronic stress can result in low reproductive rates in captivity as well as in the field. Gestation is 82–103 days long. Only females are involved in parenting. Litter size is between one and six cubs, typically two. Caves and other alcoves that offer protection are used as litter dens. Born blind, cubs are completely dependent on their mother at first and begin to be weaned at around three months of age. As they grow, they go out on forays with their mother, first visiting kill sites and, after six months, beginning to hunt small prey on their own. Kitten survival rates are just over one per litter. Juveniles remain with their mothers for one to two years. When

510-484: A foremost crepuscular and nocturnal activity pattern in a ranching area in southern Argentina. Home range sizes and overall cougar abundance depend on terrain, vegetation, and prey abundance. Research suggests a lower limit of 25 km (9.7 sq mi) and upper limit of 1,300 km (500 sq mi) of home range for males. Large male home ranges of 150 to 1,000 km (58 to 386 sq mi) with female ranges half that size. One female adjacent to

595-468: A kill to a preferred spot, covers it with brush, and returns to feed over a period of days. The cougar is generally reported to not be a scavenger , but deer carcasses left exposed for study were scavenged by cougars in California, suggesting more opportunistic behavior. Aside from humans, no species preys upon mature cougars in the wild, although conflicts with other predators or scavengers occur. Of

680-517: A large pack of seven to 11 wolves killing a female cougar and her kittens, while in nearby Sun Valley, Idaho , a 2-year-old male cougar was found dead, apparently killed by a wolf pack. Conversely, one-to-one confrontations tend to be dominated by the cat, and there are various documented accounts where wolves have been ambushed and killed, including adult male specimens. Wolves more broadly affect cougar population dynamics and distribution by dominating territory and prey opportunities, and disrupting

765-538: A long white neck stripe and the black on the foreneck extends down over the chest in a plume. It has a loud trumpeting call , higher-pitched than the common crane. Like other cranes it has a dancing display, more balletic than the common crane, with less leaping. The demoiselle crane breeds in central Eurasia from the Black Sea east to Mongolia and northeast China. It breeds in open habitats with sparse vegetation, usually near water. In winter it migrates either to

850-424: A powerful leap onto the back of its prey and a suffocating neck bite. The cougar can break the neck of some of its smaller prey with a strong bite and momentum bearing the animal to the ground. Kills are generally estimated around one large ungulate every two weeks. The period shrinks for females raising young, and may be as short as one kill every three days when cubs are nearly mature around 15 months. The cat drags

935-400: A puma habituates to humans or is in a condition of severe starvation. Attacks are most frequent during late spring and summer when juvenile cougars leave their mothers and search for new territory. Demoiselle crane The demoiselle crane ( Grus virgo ) is a species of crane found in central Eurosiberia , ranging from the Black Sea to Mongolia and Northeast China . There

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1020-593: A touch-and-feed stingray exhibit, where visitors would have a chance to directly interact with stingrays. The exhibit was officially opened on 6 March 2018. Shortly after, a life support system malfunction, that resulted in the loss of much of the marine life, caused for a complete overhaul of the life support systems and backup areas. The newly renovated exhibit opened in Fall 2021, Waters of the World, and features fish, invertebrates, and reptiles found in aquatic habitats all over

1105-873: A tree. The cougar has the most extensive range of any wild land animal in the Americas, spanning 110 degrees of latitude from the Yukon in Canada to the southern Andes in Chile. The species was extirpated from eastern North America, aside from Florida, but they may be recolonizing their former range and isolated populations have been documented east of their contemporary ranges in both the Midwestern US and Canada. The cougar lives in all forest types, lowland and mountainous deserts, and in open areas with little vegetation up to an elevation of 5,800 m (19,000 ft). In

1190-544: A walk-through interactive aviary for Budgerigar and Pygmy hippopotamus , One of the central exhibits of the zoo is the large Asian Hoofstock yard. Opened in 1991 with the rest of the ‘new zoo’ this exhibit and its collection have remained mostly unchanged since its construction. The tigers have a view of the hoofstock over a moat. Additionally, Indian peafowl roam the zoo grounds. The exhibit formerly held Eld’s deer , banteng , demoiselle crane , mandarin duck , common shelduck , and teal. There are additional habitats for

1275-467: Is a learned behavior and they do not generally recognize humans as prey. In a 10-year study in New Mexico of wild cougars who were not habituated to humans, the animals did not exhibit threatening behavior to researchers who approached closely (median distance=18.5 m; 61 feet) except in 6% of cases; 14 ⁄ 16 of those were females with cubs. Attacks on people, livestock, and pets may occur when

1360-473: Is a mostly solitary animal. Only mothers and kittens live in groups, with adults meeting rarely. While generally loners, cougars will reciprocally share kills and seem to organize themselves into small communities defined by the territories of dominant males. Cats within these areas socialize more frequently with each other than with outsiders. In the vicinity of a cattle ranch in northern Mexico, cougars exhibited nocturnal activity that overlapped foremost with

1445-413: Is a partial skull from the late Calabrian ( Ensenadan ) age. The head of the cougar is round, and the ears are erect. Its powerful forequarters, neck, and jaw serve to grasp and hold large prey. It has four retractile claws on its hind paws and five on its forepaws, of which one is a dewclaw . The larger front feet and claws are adaptations for clutching prey. Cougars are slender and agile members of

1530-559: Is afforded protection under the Endangered Species Act . The Texas Mountain Lion Conservation Project was launched in 2009 and aimed at raising local people's awareness of the status and ecological role of the cougar and mitigating conflict between landowners and cougars. The cougar is threatened by habitat loss , habitat fragmentation , and depletion of its prey base due to poaching . Hunting

1615-560: Is also a small breeding population in Turkey . These cranes are migratory birds. Birds from western Eurasia will spend the winter in Africa while the birds from Asia, Mongolia and China will spend the winter in the Indian subcontinent . The bird is symbolically significant in the culture of India, where it is known as koonj or kurjaa . The demoiselle crane was formally described in 1758 by

1700-596: Is also sometimes used in the United States. The first use of puma in English dates to 1777, introduced from Spanish from the Quechua language . In the western United States and Canada, it is also called "mountain lion", a name first used in writing in 1858. Other names include "panther" (although it does not belong to the genus Panthera ) and "catamount" (meaning "cat of the mountains"). Felis concolor

1785-399: Is an adaptable generalist species , occurring in most American habitat types. It prefers habitats with dense underbrush and rocky areas for stalking but also lives in open areas. The cougar is largely solitary. Its activity pattern varies from diurnality and cathemerality to crepuscularity and nocturnality between protected and non-protected areas, and is apparently correlated with

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1870-560: Is believed to have originated in Asia about 11 million years ago ( Mya ). Taxonomic research on felids remains partial, and much of what is known about their evolutionary history is based on mitochondrial DNA analysis. Significant confidence intervals exist with suggested dates. In the latest genomic study of the Felidae, the common ancestor of today's Leopardus , Lynx , Puma , Prionailurus , and Felis lineages migrated across

1955-651: Is derived from the Sanskrit word kraunch , which is a cognate Indo-European term for crane itself. In the ancient story of Valmiki , the composer of the Hindu epic Ramayana , it is claimed that his first verse was inspired by the sight of a hunter kill the male of a pair of demoiselle cranes that were courting. Observing the lovelorn female circling and crying in grief, he cursed the hunter in verse. Since tradition held that all poetry prior to this moment had been revealed rather than created by man, this verse concerning

2040-731: Is full of several species of hoofstock that can be found in Alabama and other parts of the United States. There are separate enclosures for the cougar , Canadian lynx , black bear , bald eagle , river otter , and a pair of young American alligators . In 2003, the Mann Wildlife Learning Museum was purchased by the Montgomery Area Zoological Society and moved to the Montgomery Zoo. The collection of large animals on display

2125-402: Is known as the koonj / kurjan in the languages of North India , and figure prominently in the literature, poetry and idiom of the region. Beautiful women are often compared to the koonj because its long and thin shape is considered graceful. Metaphorical references are also often made to the koonj for people who have ventured far from home or undertaken hazardous journeys. The name koonj

2210-403: Is legal in the western United States. In Florida, heavy traffic causes frequent accidents involving cougars. Highways are a major barrier to the dispersal of cougars. The cougar populations in California are becoming fragmented with the increase in human population and infrastructure growth in the state. Human–wildlife conflict in proximity of 5 km (1.9 sq mi) of cougar habitat

2295-664: Is less. Whereas the size of cougars tends to increase as much as distance from the equator increases, which crosses the northern portion of South America, jaguars are generally smaller north of the Amazon River in South America and larger south of it. For example, while South American jaguars are comparatively large, and may exceed 90 kg (200 lb), North American jaguars in Mexico's Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve weigh approximately 50 kg (110 lb), about

2380-565: Is lower in areas closer to the equator . A survey of North America research found 68% of prey items were ungulates, especially deer. Only the Florida panther showed variation, often preferring feral hogs and armadillos . Cougars have been known to prey on introduced gemsbok populations in New Mexico . One individual cougar was recorded as hunting 29 gemsbok, which made up 58% of its recorded kills. Most gemsbok kills were neonates, but some adults were also known to have been taken. Elsewhere in

2465-487: Is placed on an open patch of grass or bare ground. The clutch is normally two eggs. These are laid at daily intervals and incubation begins after the first egg. Incubation is by both sexes but mainly by the female. The eggs hatch asynchronously after 27 to 29 days. The chicks are pale brown above and greyish white below. They are fed and cared for by both parents. The fledgeling period is between 55 and 65 days. They first breed when they are two years old. The demoiselle crane

2550-507: Is pronounced in areas with a median human density of 32.48 inhabitants/km (84.1 inhabitants/sq mi) and a median livestock population density of 5.3 heads/km (14 heads/sq mi). Conflict is generally lower in areas more than 16.1 km (10.0 mi) away from roads and 27.8 km (17.3 mi) away from settlements. Due to the expanding human population , cougar ranges increasingly overlap with areas inhabited by humans. Attacks on humans are very rare, as cougar prey recognition

2635-556: Is reclusive and mostly avoids people. Fatal attacks on humans are rare but increased in North America as more people entered cougar habitat and built farms. The cougar is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List . Intensive hunting following European colonization of the Americas and ongoing human development into cougar habitat has caused populations to decline in most parts of its historical range. In particular,

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2720-436: Is viewed from a boardwalk. Although it originally displayed Australian animals, it is currently in a state of redevelopment. This exhibit opened with red kangaroo , dama wallaby , parma wallaby , emu , black swan , cereopsis , radjah shelduck , and magpie goose . The small seasonal exhibit, which formerly housed warthogs and aardwolf , currently houses the red river hog . Current occupants of this exhibit area include

2805-705: The American black bear exhibit opened and the first baby cheetah was born. In 1998, the maned wolf and Indian rhino exhibits opened. In 1999, the new front gate entrance and gift shop opened. In 2003, the Mann Wildlife Learning Museum was completed and opened on zoo property. In 2004, the African elephant exhibit opened, housing three female elephants. In March 2008, the North American river otter exhibit opened featuring two river otters and an additional habitat for an alligator snapping turtle . In June 2010,

2890-461: The Bengal tiger pair and Indian rhinoceros . The first baby rhino for the zoo was a male born October 1, 2007. The first Indian rhinoceros ever born by artificial insemination was born on June 5, 2013. The African Realm is the largest exhibit complex in the zoo. The African Savanna Elephant habitat was opened in 2005 with the first three female elephants . It includes waterfalls, a large pool,

2975-703: The Bering land bridge into the Americas 8.0 to 8.5 million years ago. The lineages subsequently diverged in that order. North American felids then invaded South America 2–4   Mya as part of the Great American Interchange , following the formation of the Isthmus of Panama . The cheetah lineage is suggested by some studies to have diverged from the Puma lineage in the Americas and migrated back to Asia and Africa, while other research suggests

3060-598: The Cockscomb Basin of Belize were nocturnal but avoided each other. In a protected cloud forest in the central Andes of Colombia, cougars were active from late afternoon to shortly before sunrise and sometimes during noon and early afternoon. In protected areas of the Madidi - Tambopata Landscape in Bolivia and Peru, cougars were active throughout the day but with a tendency to nocturnal activity that overlapped with

3145-460: The Felidae . They are the fourth largest cat species worldwide; adults stand about 60 to 90 cm (24 to 35 in) tall at the shoulders. Adult males are around 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) long from nose to tail tip, and females average 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in), with overall ranges between 1.50 to 2.75 m (4 ft 11 in to 9 ft 0 in) nose to tail suggested for

3230-698: The Sahel region of Africa, from Lake Chad eastwards to southern Ethiopia, or to western regions of the Indian subcontinent. There was previously a small population in Turkey and an isolated resident population in the Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa. These are both now extinct. On its Indian wintering grounds it forms large flocks which gather on agricultural land. It roosts at night in shallow open water. Eggs are laid between April and May. The minimal nest

3315-820: The San Andres Mountains was found with a big range of 215 km (83 sq mi), necessitated by poor prey abundance. Research has shown cougar abundances from 0.5 animals to as many as seven per 100 km (39 sq mi). Male home ranges include or overlap with females but, at least where studied, not with those of other males. The home ranges of females overlap slightly. Males create scrapes composed of leaves and duff with their hind feet, and mark them with urine and sometimes feces . When males encounter each other, they vocalize and may engage in violent conflict if neither backs down. Cougars communicate with various vocalizations. Aggressive sounds include growls, spits, snarls, and hisses. During

3400-884: The Santa Ana Mountains , it prefers steep canyons, escarpments, rim rocks and dense brush. In Mexico, it was recorded in the Sierra de San Carlos . In the Yucatán Peninsula , it inhabits secondary and semi- deciduous forests in El Eden Ecological Reserve . In El Salvador , it was recorded in the lower montane forest in Montecristo National Park and in a river basin in the Morazán Department above 700 m (2,300 ft) in 2019. In Colombia , it

3485-618: The eastern cougar population is considered to be mostly locally extinct in eastern North America since the early 20th century, with the exception of the isolated Florida panther subpopulation. The word cougar is borrowed from the Portuguese çuçuarana , via French; it was originally derived from the Tupi language . A current form in Brazil is suçuarana . In the 17th century, Georg Marcgrave named it cuguacu ara . Marcgrave's rendering

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3570-497: The "Numidian crane" in 1738. Albin explained that: "This Bird is called Demoiselles by reason of certain ways of acting that it has, wherein it seems to imitate the Gestures of a Woman who affects a Grace in her Walking, Obeisances, and Dancing". Linnaeus also cited the English naturalist George Edwards who had described and illustrated the "Demoiselle of Numidia" in 1750. The name "la demoiselle de Numidie" had been used in 1676 by

3655-586: The French naturalist Claude Perrault . The demoiselle crane is now placed in the genus Grus that was introduced in 1760 by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson . The species is treated as monospecific : no subspecies are recognised. The genus name Grus is the Latin word for a "crane". The specific epithet virgo is Latin meaning "maiden". Some authorities place this species together with

3740-506: The Montgomery Zoo reopened at its current location. The zoo began with six acres, a small petting zoo for the children, assorted monkeys, a flight cage designed after the 1906 St. Louis World's Fair, and a chimpanzee named Benji. In 1976, the Montgomery Zoo hosted its first fundraising event entitled Zoo Day. This initial event grew to become an annual event and is now called Zoo Weekend. Today, an average Zoo Weekend will host as many as 18,000 guests. In 1989, ground-breaking took place expanding

3825-499: The Overlook Cafe. The Old World Aviary is also seen from the Overlook Cafe and is adjacent to the giraffe feeding post. It is home to a variety of African birds and a mammal species: The African Realm is also home to the siamang (indigenous to Asia), Chimpanzee , lion , and cheetah . South America is the original and oldest section of the existing zoo. It utilizes what remains of the petting zoo that originally opened at

3910-578: The Reptile House, jaguar , and ocelot exhibit were completed in South America; and the new chimpanzee and colobus monkey exhibits opened in the Africa realm. In 1993, the Bengal tiger exhibit opened in the Asian realm with one white and one orange tiger. In 1995, the bald eagle exhibit opened in North American realm and Monkey Island was completely renovated in South America. In 1996,

3995-460: The Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae . He placed it with the herons and cranes in the genus Ardea and coined the binomial name Ardea virgo . He specified the type locality as the orient but this has been restricted to India. Linnaeus cited the accounts by earlier authors. The English naturalist Eleazar Albin had described and illustrated

4080-466: The United States. Establishing wildlife corridors and protecting sufficient range areas are critical for the sustainability of cougar populations. Research simulations showed that it faces a low extinction risk in areas larger than 2,200 km (850 sq mi). Between one and four new individuals entering a population per decade markedly increases persistence, thus highlighting the importance of habitat corridors. The Florida panther population

4165-495: The Zoo's South America realm. The new facility serves as a replacement for the Zoo's current Reptile House, which is also located in the South America realm. Cougar Also see text The cougar ( Puma concolor ) ( / ˈ k uː ɡ ər / , KOO-gər ), also known as the panther , mountain lion , catamount and puma , is a large cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North , Central and South America , making it

4250-552: The activity of calves . In a nature reserve in central Mexico, the activity of cougars was crepuscular and nocturnal, overlapping largely with the activity of the nine-banded armadillo ( Dasypus novemcinctus ). Cougars in the montane Abra-Tanchipa Biosphere Reserve in southeastern Mexico displayed a cathemeral activity pattern. Data from 12 years of camera trapping in the Pacific slope and Talamanca Cordillera of Costa Rica showed cougars as cathemeral. Both cougars and jaguars in

4335-907: The activity of main prey species. During an 8-year-long study in a modified landscape in southeastern Brazil, male cougars were primarily nocturnal, but females were active at night and day. Cougars were diurnal in the Brazilian Pantanal , but crepuscular and nocturnal in protected areas in the Cerrado , Caatinga and ecotone biomes. Cougars in the Atlantic Forest were active throughout the day but displayed peak activity during early mornings in protected areas and crepuscular and nocturnal activity in less protected areas. In central Argentina, cougars were active day and night in protected areas but were active immediately after sunset and before sunrise outside protected areas. Cougars displayed

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4420-469: The actual site where the display animals lived. There is also a fish room, where many species of mounted fish are on display, including stingrays , sharks , marlin , blue fin and a killer whale . Feeding stations are located at the Asian koi fish pond. The zoo also has a Giraffe Encounter Post located at the giraffe exhibit in the African realm. Parakeet Cove is an interactive walk-through aviary and

4505-684: The authors of Mammal Species of the World recognized the following six subspecies in 2005: In 2006, the Florida panther was still referred to as a distinct subspecies P. c. coryi in research works. As of 2017 , the Cat Classification Taskforce of the Cat Specialist Group recognizes only two subspecies as valid : Lynx Cheetah A. jubatus [REDACTED] Cougar [REDACTED] Jaguarundi H. yagouaroundi [REDACTED] Felis Otocolobus Prionailurus The family Felidae

4590-539: The average female in the same region averages about 42 kg (93 lb). On average, adult male cougars in British Columbia weigh 56.7 kg (125 lb) and adult females 45.4 kg (100 lb), though several male cougars in British Columbia weighed between 86.4 and 95.5 kg (190 and 211 lb). Depending on the locality, cougars can be smaller or bigger than jaguars but are less muscular and not as powerfully built, so on average, their weight

4675-434: The cats take prey more frequently and spend less time feeding on each kill. Unlike several subordinate predators from other ecosystems, cougars do not appear to exploit spatial or temporal refuges to avoid competitors. The gray wolf and the cougar compete more directly for prey, mostly in winter. Packs of wolves can steal cougars' kills, and there are some documented cases of cougars being killed by them. One report describes

4760-557: The cheetah diverged in the Old World itself. A high level of genetic similarity has been found among North American cougar populations, suggesting they are all fairly recent descendants of a small ancestral group. Culver et al. propose the original North American cougar population was extirpated during the Pleistocene extinctions some 10,000 years ago, when other large mammals, such as Smilodon , also disappeared. North America

4845-404: The closely related blue crane ( Grus paradisea ) in the genus Anthropoides . The demoiselle is 85–100 cm (33.5–39.5 in) long, 76 cm (30 in) tall and has a 155–180 cm (61–71 in) wingspan. It weighs 2–3 kg (4.4–6.6 lb). It is the smallest species of crane. The demoiselle crane is slightly smaller than the common crane but has similar plumage . It has

4930-456: The cougar diet. Learned, individual prey recognition was observed, as some cougars rarely killed bighorn sheep, while others relied heavily on the species. In the Central and South American cougar range area, the ratio of deer in the diet declines. Small to mid-sized mammals, including large rodents such as the capybara , are preferred. Ungulates accounted for only 35% of prey items in one survey, about half that of North America. Competition with

5015-431: The cougar, 32 cougar zoological specimens were described and proposed as subspecies until the late 1980s. Genetic analysis of cougar mitochondrial DNA indicates that many of these are too similar to be recognized as distinct at a molecular level but that only six phylogeographic groups exist. The Florida panther samples showed a low microsatellite variation, possibly due to inbreeding . Following this research,

5100-424: The cougar. The cougar has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2008. However, it is also listed on CITES Appendix II . Hunting it is prohibited in California, Costa Rica , Honduras , Nicaragua , Guatemala , Panama , Venezuela , Colombia, French Guiana , Suriname , Bolivia , Brazil, Chile, Paraguay , Uruguay and most of Argentina. Hunting is regulated in Canada, Mexico, Peru , and

5185-510: The endangered species of Indian Crocodile known as the Gharial , along with several other species in the new facility. 2019's Zoo Weekend , an annual fundraising event hosted by the Zoo since 1976, was solely dedicated to raising funds for this new exhibit. Currently, a large banner providing information of the new facility is hanging on the outside fence of the Greater rhea exhibit, located in

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5270-659: The feline's behavior. Preliminary research in Yellowstone , for instance, has shown displacement of the cougar by wolves. One researcher in Oregon noted: "When there is a pack around, cougars are not comfortable around their kills or raising kittens [...] A lot of times a big cougar will kill a wolf, but the pack phenomenon changes the table." Both species are capable of killing mid-sized predators, such as bobcats , Canada lynxes , wolverines and coyotes , and tend to suppress their numbers. Although cougars can kill coyotes,

5355-863: The large predators in Yellowstone National Park – the grizzly and black bears , gray wolf and cougar – the massive grizzly bear appears dominant, often (though not always) able to drive a gray wolf pack, black bear or cougar off their kills. One study found that grizzlies and American black bears visited 24% of cougar kills in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks , usurping 10% of carcasses. Bears gained up to 113%, and cougars lost up to 26% of their daily energy requirements from these encounters. In Colorado and California, black bears were found to visit 48% and 77% of kills, respectively. In general, cougars are subordinate to black bears when it comes to killing, and when bears are most active,

5440-429: The larger jaguar in South America has been suggested for the decline in the size of prey items. In Central or North America, the cougar and jaguar share the same prey, depending on its abundance. Other listed prey species of the cougar include mice , porcupines , American beavers , raccoons , hares , guanacoes , peccaries , vicuñas , rheas and wild turkeys . Birds and small reptiles are sometimes preyed upon in

5525-429: The latter have been documented attempting to prey on cougar cubs. The cougar and jaguar share overlapping territory in the southern portion of its range. The jaguar tends to take the larger prey where ranges overlap, reducing both the cougar's potential size and the likelihood of direct competition between the two cats. Cougars appear better than jaguars at exploiting a broader prey niche and smaller prey. The cougar

5610-464: The literature used here was the cougar's diet and its prey's regulation. The cougar is a generalist hypercarnivore . It prefers large mammals such as mule deer , white-tailed deer , elk , moose , mountain goat and bighorn sheep . It opportunistically takes smaller prey such as rodents , lagomorphs , smaller carnivores, birds, and even domestic animals, including pets. The mean weight of cougar vertebrate prey increases with its body weight and

5695-442: The mating season, estrus females produce caterwauls or yowls to attract mates, and males respond with similar vocals. Mothers and offspring keep in contact with whistles, chirps, and mews. Females reach sexual maturity at the age of 18 months to three years and are in estrus for about eight days of a 23-day cycle; the gestation period is approximately 91 days. Both adult males and females may mate with multiple partners, and

5780-712: The most widely distributed wild, terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere , and one of the most widespread in the world. Its range spans the Yukon , British Columbia and Alberta provinces of Canada , the Rocky Mountains and areas in the western United States . Further south, its range extends through Mexico to the Amazon Rainforest and the southern Andes Mountains in Patagonia . It

5865-464: The presence of other predators, prey species, livestock and humans. It is an ambush predator that pursues a wide variety of prey. Ungulates , particularly deer , are its primary prey, but it also hunts rodents . It is territorial and lives at low population densities. Individual home ranges depend on terrain, vegetation and abundance of prey. While large, it is not always the dominant apex predator in its range, yielding prey to other predators. It

5950-537: The same as female cougars. Cougar coloring is plain (hence the Latin concolor ["one color"] in the scientific name) but can vary greatly across individuals and even siblings. The coat is typically tawny, but it ranges from silvery-grey to reddish with lighter patches on the underbody, including the jaws, chin, and throat. Infants are spotted and born with blue eyes and rings on their tails; juveniles are pale, and dark spots remain on their flanks. A leucistic individual

6035-431: The south, but this is rarely recorded in North America. Magellanic penguins ( Spheniscus magellanicus ) constitute the majority of prey items in cougar diet in Patagonia 's Bosques Petrificados de Jaramillo National Park and Monte León National Park . Although capable of sprinting, the cougar is typically an ambush predator . It stalks through brush and trees, across ledges, or other covered spots, before delivering

6120-666: The southwestern United States, they have been recorded to also prey on feral horses in the Great Basin , as well as feral donkeys in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts . Investigations at Yellowstone National Park showed that elk and mule deer were the cougar's primary prey; the prey base is shared with the park's wolves , with which the cougar competes for resources. A study on winter kills from November to April in Alberta showed that ungulates accounted for greater than 99% of

6205-604: The species in general. Of this length, the tail typically accounts for 63 to 95 cm (25 to 37 in). Males generally weigh 53 to 72 kg (117 to 159 lb). Females typically weigh between 34 and 48 kg (75 and 106 lb). Cougar size is smallest close to the equator and larger towards the poles . The largest recorded cougar, shot in 1901, weighed 105.2 kg (232 lb); claims of 125.2 kg (276 lb) and 118 kg (260 lb) have been reported, though they were probably exaggerated. Male cougars in North America average 62 kg (137 lb), while

6290-405: The wild is reported at 8 to 13 years and probably averages 8 to 10; a female of at least 18 years was reported killed by hunters on Vancouver Island . Cougars may live as long as 20 years in captivity. Causes of death in the wild include disability and disease, competition with other cougars, starvation, accidents, and, where allowed, hunting. The feline immunodeficiency virus is well-adapted to

6375-572: The world. The exhibit is adjacent to the Mann Wildlife Learning Museum, and near the Zoo's Chimpanzee exhibit. Plans are currently being made for a butterfly pavilion to be constructed, in honor of those with breast cancer. The Zoo is currently raising funds for the construction of a new reptile facility. In cooperation with the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust , the Montgomery Zoo has plans to house

6460-881: The zoo opened the Giraffe Encounter and feeding stations at the river otters and koi fish ponds. The following year, both the Parakeet Cove and Horse Trail Rides were added as animal encounters. In August 2012, the Zoofari Skylift Ride was completed. Two months later, the Birmingham Zoo 's two male lions, Baron and Vulcan were displayed in their exhibit at the African realm. Two years later, these two lions were sent to Salt Lake City 's Hogle Zoo to breed with Woodland Park Zoo 's two lionesses. The new American alligator habitat opened with four bachelor males in summer 2014. The Australian Realm

6545-414: The zoo to 40 acres. After two years of construction, the community welcomed a new zoo in 1991. Barrier-free and multi-species exhibits highlighted the expansion, as well as the zoo being divided into five continental realms: Africa, Australia, Asia, North America, and South America. Since then the zoo has continued to grow and expand. In 1992, the cougar and lynx exhibit was opened in North American realm,

6630-441: The zoo's current location in 1972. The enclosures here are more antiquated, and this section is full of smaller, more traditional, and less modern exhibits. The zoo also has a Flight Cage that is made to resemble the 1904 World's Fair Aviary. The Reptile House is in this section of the zoo. It has several specimens of reptiles and amphibians found throughout the world. None of the species are venomous. The North American exhibit

6715-407: Was built in 2012. The Zoofari Skylift Adventure Ride opened in 2014, and gives guests an aerial view of the park. The petting zoo features a collection of pygmy goats , ducks , and llamas and is located in the playground area near the Asian realm of the zoo. The keepers host daily lion and elephant talks and training sessions. In 2011, the Montgomery Zoo began raising funds for the construction of

6800-614: Was recorded in a palm oil plantation close to a riparian forest in the Llanos Basin , and close to water bodies in the Magdalena River Valley . In the human-modified landscape of central Argentina, it inhabits bushland with abundant vegetation cover and prey species. Cougars are an important keystone species in Western Hemisphere ecosystems, linking numerous species at many trophic levels. In

6885-579: Was reproduced in 1648 by his associate Willem Piso . Cuguacu ara was then adopted by John Ray in 1693. In 1774, Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon converted cuguacu ara to cuguar , which was later modified to "cougar" in English. The cougar holds the Guinness record for the animal with the greatest number of names, with over 40 in English alone. "Puma" is the common name used in Latin America and most parts of Europe. The term puma

6970-521: Was seen in Serra dos Órgãos National Park in Rio de Janeiro in 2013 when it was recorded by a camera trap, indicating that pure white individuals do exist within the species, though they are extremely rare. The cougar has large paws and proportionally the largest hind legs in the Felidae, allowing for great leaping and powerful short sprints. It can leap from the ground up to 5.5 m (18 ft) high into

7055-412: Was taken with bow and arrow by trophy hunter George Mann. Guests visiting the Mann Wildlife Learning Museum are able to touch and feel the furs and antlers of some of the animals on display. The animals are in a three-sided display so you can walk up close and see the animal and their habitat. All the displays are assembled from natural material and actual plants, rocks, trees, dirt and sand collected from

7140-471: Was the scientific name proposed by Carl Linnaeus in 1771 for a cat with a long tail from Brazil. The specific epithet of the name, "concolor", is Latin for "of uniform color". It was placed in the genus Puma by William Jardine in 1834. This genus is part of the Felinae . The cougar is most closely related to the jaguarundi and the cheetah. Following Linnaeus's first scientific description of

7225-559: Was then repopulated by South American cougars . A coprolite identified as from a cougar was excavated in Argentina's Catamarca Province and dated to 17,002–16,573 years old. It contained Toxascaris leonina eggs. This finding indicates that the cougar and the parasite have existed in South America since at least the Late Pleistocene . The oldest fossil record of a cougar ( Puma concolor ) in South America (Argentina)

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