How do cougars raise their young

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the social behaviors and parenting strategies of big cats, particularly cougars and tigers, as well as the social structures of various animal species. Participants explore questions about hunting practices, raising young, and the social dynamics within different species.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that big cats like lions have social structures where females raise cubs together, while others mention that tigers are generally solitary, particularly males.
  • One participant suggests that female tigers may need to find safe hiding spots for their cubs, raising questions about their social behaviors.
  • Another participant introduces the idea that some Indonesian tiger species may exhibit social behaviors, congregating in family groups at night.
  • There is a mention of social insects, like ants and bees, as examples of highly social animals, with a suggestion that ranking social behaviors may be complex and subjective.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying views on the social behaviors of big cats, with some agreeing on the social structure of lions while others highlight the solitary nature of tigers. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the extent of social behaviors in tigers and the complexities of ranking social animals.

Contextual Notes

Some claims about the social behaviors of tigers and the implications of new research are based on anecdotal evidence and may require further verification. The discussion also reflects differing perspectives on the definitions of social behavior among species.

KingNothing
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I have some questions about animals that I want answered. I know this is a physics forum, but this crowd is generally the most educated of all the forums I frequent, so I ask general questions here.

1. Big cats, like cougars and leopards, do they hunt alone? How do they raise their young, and feed their young.

2. What are the most social animals? What species help other members of the species out the most?
 
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1) It depends on the species. Do you have a favorite you'd like that answered for?

2) You'll probably get a range of opinions on something like this, but the social insects, like ants and bees, probably qualify in the final running for the category. Other animals that live in colonies would likely qualify as well...I've been watching way too much of Meerkat Manor lately, and they seem to have a pretty organized social structure including things like babysitting duties. Humans rank pretty high up there too. There are other examples at the tip of my tongue (fingers?) that I'm trying to recall...I'd want to double check before adding them to the list because I might be misremembering things. I'm not sure it would be that easy to really rank anyone as the MOST social.
 
0. PF is NOT just a physics forums (otherwise there wouldn't have been a biology sub-forum here, would it?). Feel free to ask any biology questions here as well.

1. Lions are fairly social big cats, with a harem-like social structure. The lionesses (often sisters) raise their cubs in common, and hunts together.
When the old he-lion is defeated in battle with a new male, the new male usually kills off any cubs remaining.

I believe the tigers are rather solitary, at least the males. Since the female needs to hunt as well as raising the cub(s?), I assume that it is critical for her to find a safe hide-out for the cub. (I am unaware if female tigers band together for mutual protection, I'd be interested to here the true story about how the tigers manage this).
 
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i heard from a friend that new research has shown that some indonesian species of tiger can be very social at times and family groups have been observed congregating at night in bands of up to 5 or 6
 
chalky said:
i heard from a friend that new research has shown that some indonesian species of tiger can be very social at times and family groups have been observed congregating at night in bands of up to 5 or 6
Interesting!
Thanks for puncturing another myth I've believed in! :smile:
 

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