Favorite Big Cat: Puma, Cougar, Catamount & More

[caters]

There are quite a few big cats so I thought it would be nice to do a poll.

The cougar has a lot of other names like mountain lion, puma, and catamount that you might or might not have heard of.

 

[tom aaron]

The ones we have visiting our property...cougars. See one every couple of years ...but tracks in the snow just about every winter. Never an issue and not sure why they come by as they are skittish and usually avoid people. We see more lynx when snowshoe hares are scarce.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Tigers are a close second but Cheetahs are so dang cute and cool!

 

[caters]

Tigers are a close second but Cheetahs are so dang cute and cool!

I agree. They are really fast. They make several different sounds like purrs when they are happy and content, chirps when calling for their young or when they are excited, and females meow when they are around males that want to mate. Cheetah cubs have the white fuzz on their backs until they are 2 months old to mimic a honey badger so that predators, even lions will think twice about killing it. They also chirp but it is mainly to deter predators away from them and make the predators think "Oh, its just a bird".

 

[Dr Transport]

I got to vote cougar, as much as I really like to see tigers and snow leopards, when I saw a cougar in the mountains a few years ago the experience could not be matched.

 

[lisab]

This was a very difficult decision.

I love cats - all cats.

Lions - who doesn't love lions? Their social structure, their power - amazing.

Tigers - truly beautiful cats, I think. They love water, too. The ultimate alpha animal.

Leopards - like a living sculpture.

Jaguar - these have to be the most strikingly beautiful cats. So graceful.

Cheetah - the uber-athletes of the cat family. Built for speed!

Snow leopard - adorable, but they live in a tough climate - these are badass cats!

Cougars - OK now. I am an avid hiker in the Pacific Northwest of the US, which is cougar territory. This is the only animal I truly don't want to stumble upon. Yes I'm afraid of them, and yes my fear is justified.

So, I voted for Tigers. They're powerful, beautiful, and you can't take your eyes off of them (nor should you!). Plus, they don't live anywhere near me (except maybe zoos).

 

[Dembadon]

Jaguar, no question.

 

[Lisa!]

No vote for poor leopard! I love them too

 

[dextercioby]

I think people voted for the only can who is must unlikely to kill a man. :)
The lion is my favorite, while the jaguar is the real vicious beast of the wild.

 

[tom aaron]

This was a very difficult decision. Cougars - OK now. I am an avid hiker in the Pacific Northwest of the US, which is cougar territory. This is the only animal I truly don't want to stumble upon. Yes I'm afraid of them, and yes my fear is justified.
.

Justified?

When was the last time a person was killed by a cougar in your region? We have the highest concentration of cougars in North America and just one death here in the last decade. More chance to choke on trail mix when out hiking. Only ten deaths from cougars in North America in the last 25 years.

 

[JorisL]

I like meerkats, does that count?

If not I'd go for a lynx (the eurasian kind). Something about those ears.
Plus the fact that I'm glad reintroduction seems to catch on if the reports are/were correct.

 

[Dembadon]

Justified?

When was the last time a person was killed by a cougar in your region? We have the highest concentration of cougars in North America and just one death here in the last decade. More chance to choke on trail mix when out hiking. Only ten deaths from cougars in North America in the last 25 years.

Are you telling me that if you somehow knew you were being stalked by a cougar you wouldn't be afraid? I mean, I guess you could try and calm yourself by meditating on the "10 in last 25 years" statistic from your post, but I'm willing to bet that probably wouldn't be very encouraging in the moment.

 

[tom aaron]

Are you telling me that if you somehow knew you were being stalked by a cougar you wouldn't be afraid? I mean, I guess you could try and calm yourself by meditating on the "10 in last 25 years" statistic from your post, but I'm willing to bet that probably wouldn't be very encouraging in the moment.

Stalked? How often are you stalked by cougars. I've been hiking around cougars and grizzlies for decades and zero incidents. The rare time we have come across a cougar when hiking they zip up a tree faster than a squirrel.

If cougars are stalking you, don't worry because they must be really bad at it or just do it as a lark. The last cougar death was in my area of the Canadian Rockies back in 2008.

 

[Evo]

We have mountain lions where I live, had one in my backyard a few years ago, it ate my neighbor's chihuahua and another neighbor ran over it accidentally. They usually stay up in the wildlife preserve that was 1 1/2 miles from my house, but we'd had severe drought conditions for a few years and they started venturing down.

My favorite is the snow leopard, I bought Evo Child a stuffed snow leopard when I was in the hospital when she was 2. She slept with it every night until she was 16, it is now in a place of honor in my bedroom overlooking my bed. Catty.

 

[gmax137]

I like meerkats, does that count?

Along those lines, here we have fisher cats. Pretty cool, I saw one last month. Scared the bejeebers out of me.

 

[Dembadon]

Stalked? How often are you stalked by cougars. [...]

How often? I'm not sure that's something that can be accurately quantified. I think it's reasonable to assume there are instances of cougars stalking people without their knowledge.

What I'm getting at, and I can't speak for lisab, is that fear of an event isn't always based on its likelihood. In my opinion, it's perfectly reasonable to be afraid of something even if there's a small chance of it happening, especially if the event is as traumatic as getting mauled by a large predator. I really don't want to drag this thread off-topic, so I'll drop it.

 

[Silicon Waffle]

I don't like any of them . I just can't. I only like birds, eagles, chicken and dogs.

 

[jack476]

Maine Coon :P

Our neighbors have a few of them and they like to come into our yard (because they're so cute and I started feeding them, probably) and they are just awesome cats.

Like this:

 

[lisab]

Maine Coon :P

Our neighbors have a few of them and they like to come into our yard (because they're so cute and I started feeding them, probably) and they are just awesome cats.

Like this:

This post literally made me snort !

 

[lisab]

How often? I'm not sure that's something that can be accurately quantified. I think it's reasonable to assume there are instances of cougars stalking people without their knowledge.

What I'm getting at, and I can't speak for lisab, is that fear of an event isn't always based on its likelihood. In my opinion, it's perfectly reasonable to be afraid of something even if there's a small chance of it happening, especially if the event is as traumatic as getting mauled by a large predator. I really don't want to drag this thread off-topic, so I'll drop it.

You say it better than I could! I backpack or hike several times a year, and there have been a few times I feel...watched. I try to shake it off, explain it away as fatigue or paranoia or whatever. I should add: I don't spook easily - zero belief in paranoia or whoo-whoo stuff. But the (very few) times I have felt stalked while in the back country...whew.

Meanwhile, this photo was posted elsewhere on the innerwebs as a leopard sighting. Comments welcome:

 

[Silicon Waffle]

Seeing that no one voted for leopard, I voted for it myself. I don't like dangerous big meat-eating animals.

 

[Dembadon]

Meanwhile, this photo was posted elsewhere on the innerwebs as a leopard sighting. Comments welcome:

I see it!

In case anyone is having difficulty locating it:

Spoiler

Locate the (mountain goat/ram?) at the bottom-center of the photo. Move straight up and slightly to the right until you see a reddish colored rock. The leopard is just to the left of it. It's easier to see using the full-size image.

 

[dipole]

I voted for leopard because my girlfriend has a lot of freckles around her eyes and they remind me of her.

 

[Schieder]

Only cats in the Genus Panthera are classed as Big Cats due to a specialized larynx called a hyoid apparatus which allows Big Cats to flex their throat and produce a true, deep roaring sound.
Even though cheetahs, Pumas and Snow Leopards are physically Big they aren't Big Cats because they lack the development Panthera species have in their throat.

 

[Evo]

Only cats in the Genus Panthera are classed as Big Cats due to a specialized larynx called a hyoid apparatus which allows Big Cats to flex their throat and produce a true, deep roaring sound.
Even though cheetahs, Pumas and Snow Leopards are physically Big they aren't Big Cats because they lack the development Panthera species have in their throat.

Really, where did you read this? Please post your source.

Snow leopards (Panthera uncia)

Adding to their elusive nature, snow leopards are the one big cat that cannot roar.

http://www.panthera.org/node/11

 

[StatGuy2000]

Really, where did you read this? Please post your source.
http://www.panthera.org/node/11

Hi Evo, according to Wikipedia, both the cheetah and the cougar are members of the subfamily Felinae, which predominately includes the smaller and medium-sized cats (the cheetah and the cougar are the physically largest members of the Felinae subfamily). Therefore, Schieder is correct to state that these are not true "big cats" (although he/she is incorrect about the snow leopard).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cougar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheetah

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felinae

 

[206PiruBlood]

I picked tiger because it would win in a fight against the others.

Also on the topic of big(relatively) cats: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixie-bob

Pixie-bobs are said to be highly intelligent, social, active, bold, and enjoy playing with other animals. They are also known for their "chirps", chatters, and growls; most do not meow often, and some do not meow at all.

Most Pixie-bobs are highly sociable around both their owners and strangers. Almost all Pixie-bobs like to be in the same room as their owners, and will follow their owners around the house.

Other personality characteristics include the following:

• Head butting
• Ball fetching and playing
• Leash walking (for the most part)
• Highly intelligent
• Capable of understanding some human words and phrases

 

[Tosh5457]

Favorite "domestic" cat. Savannah cat, have to get one of these someday

 

[caters]

Favorite "domestic" cat. Savannah cat, have to get one of these someday

Yeah those savannah cats are loyal like dogs and they look like miniature cheetahs. In fact I have often heard them called mini cheetahs.