Talk:Cougar

Cougars

Cat 208.67.7.148 (talk) 20:55, 1 February 2023 (UTC)

"This wide range has brought it many common names, including puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther". Puma is not in a Panthera family, and is not and shall not be referred as panther. Very misleading naming in this level article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.156.244.251 (talk) 09:14, 5 March 2023 (UTC)

I'm not entirely sure what you're saying here, but those are names used for the animal (whether they should be or not) so I don't see a problem. We can only state what is, per reliable sources, not what we think "should be". Anaxial (talk) 16:13, 5 March 2023 (UTC)

Cougars are closer to small and medium sized wildcats (Servals, Caracals, African Wildcats, Ocelots, etc) than they are to panthers. They can't roar and are even able to breed with ocelots (via artificial methods). Panthers roar, members of the felinae purr. [Special:Contributions/47.197.29.147|47.197.29.147]] (talk) 04:11, 28 September 2023 (UTC)

That doesn't address the question as to whether or not the name is commonly used for the animal. You need to prove that (almost) nobody uses the word, not that, in your personal opinion, they "should not" use the word. Anaxial (talk) 05:39, 28 September 2023 (UTC)

What are you saying? You really mean that if some people use some names wrong then its okay to read that in wikipedia also?

That logic is just plain wrong.

Cougars live in North and South America and Panthers Africa and South and East Asia. Noppikalle (talk) 06:01, 12 July 2024 (UTC)

WP:NOTAFORUM--Mr Fink (talk) 16:42, 5 March 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 25 March 2024

My request concerns the section: relationships with humans, with recorded attacks in California reaching now to 2024, as there was a fatality due to a couguar a day ago

change "The heavily populated state of California saw a dozen attacks 1986 to 2004 (after just three from 1890 to 1985), including three fatalities." to "The heavily populated state of California saw a dozen attacks 1986 to 2024 (after just three from 1890 to 1985), including four fatalities." <https://news.sky.com/story/mountain-lion-attacks-two-brothers-killing-one-and-injuring-the-other-13100858> </ref> <https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/first-fatal-mountain-lion-attack-in-california-in-20-years-leaves-one-man-dead-brother-injured-authorities-say-1.6821205></ref> MathieuSkyk (talk) 17:43, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

Done. But I chose different wording because I don't know if "dozen" would still accurately describe the number of attacks up to 2024. pillowcrow 22:14, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

Nocturnal/crepuscular/diurnal

The cougar is largely solitary by nature and considered both nocturnal and crepuscular, but it was also sighted during the day, says the current version of this article. This seems to suggest daytime appearances are rare indeed, which is not true.

Although Puma concolor prefers to hunt by night, it varies according to the locality, and the predator may operate quite extensively in daytime. Harmsen, Bart (2010). "Jaguar and puma activity patterns in relation to their main prey" (PDF). Mammalian Biology., see Discussion. For example in Venezuela pumas are active for 30-50% of daylight hours.

In short, that pumas rarely hunt by day is unsourced, and dubious. Ttocserp 02:08, 20 April 2024 (UTC)

The Harmsen et al paper is behind a paywall but a relevant extract is:

In this study, activity of jaguars and pumas coincided with periods when their main prey species forage above ground [emphasis supplied], as has been found for feline predators of rodents and lagomorphs (e.g. Fedriana et al., 1999; Roth and Lima, 2007). In other parts of the neotropics, jaguars and pumas rely more on diurnal [emphasis supplied] ungulate species as prey (e.g. Crawshaw and Quigley, 2002; Núñez et al., 2000; Scognamillo et al., 2003; Taber et al., 1997). For example, in the Pantanal jaguars are mostly diurnal and feed mainly on domestic and wild ungulates, and capybaras (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris) (Crawshaw and Quigley, 1991, 2002). In Venezuela, jaguars and pumas were active for 30–50% of the daylight hours [emphasis supplied]...

In other words, it varies geographically; but if their prey come out during the day, pumas will hunt them by day. According to this reputable paper at least, it is an invalid generalisation to say pumas are nocturnal and crepuscular. They are whatever they need to be, including diurnal; nor is this unusual.

This is supposed to be a Featured Article, and in my opinion it is quite remarkable that it asserts, as a fact, something that is probably wrong and (at best) is not supported by the cited sources.Ttocserp 12:40, 20 April 2024 (UTC)

return to midwest and eastern North America

• https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/the-cat-came-back-canadas-cougar-comeback/
• https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Sampling-sites-and-positive-identifications-of-Cougars-in-eastern-Canada-Black-circles_fig1_270349268

--Kmhkmh (talk) 02:34, 30 May 2024 (UTC)

Further reading

The further reading section that was deleted in 2022 imho should be recreated. The 2022 version certainly needed significant pruning, but we shouldn't throw out the baby with the bath water so to speak. That is section with a few carefully selected reading recommendation/books would be quite appropriate for the article.--Kmhkmh (talk) 05:35, 1 June 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 9 July 2024

Please Change "Pumas in the southern cone of America – often called Argentine cougars by North Americans" to "Pumas in the southern cone of South America – often called Argentine cougars by North Americans" Vader1988 (talk) 21:30, 9 July 2024 (UTC)

Changed, but removed the irrelevant name. – BhagyaMani (talk) 09:18, 10 July 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 12 June 2024

In Distribution and habitat section it starts > The cougar has the largest range of any wild land animal in the Americas, spanning 110 degrees of latitude from Yukon in Canada to the southern Andes in Chile. When it should be > The cougar has the largest range of any wild land animal in the Americas, spanning from Yukon in Canada to the southern Andes in Chile.

Because there isn't such a thing as 110 latitude or/either 110 longitude also don't make any sense. Someone please make that change, because I yet can't. Noppikalle (talk) 06:29, 12 July 2024 (UTC)