Mountain Lion: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Big Cats · day 5 of 7

Five facts

1. A cougar's powerful hind legs can launch it up to 5.5 m straight into a tree.
2. Cougars range from Canada's Yukon all the way to the southern Andes of Chile. No wild land animal in the Americas covers more ground.
3. The cougar holds a Guinness record for having the most names of any animal, with over 40 in English alone.
4. In central Idaho, cougars caught elk and mule deer with 82% success in winter. In Argentina, hunting Plains viscacha worked only 10% of the time.
5. Cougars stand 60 to 90 cm tall at the shoulder and are the fourth-largest cat species.

The quiz

1. How far can a cougar launch itself straight into a tree?

• Up to 1 m
• Up to 5.5 m (correct)
• Up to 2 m
• Up to 12 m

Its powerful hind legs launch it up to 5.5 m into a tree.

2. Which country sits at the southern end of the cougar's range?

• Mexico
• Panama
• Brazil
• Chile (correct)

Its range stretches from Canada's Yukon to the southern Andes of Chile.

3. How many English names does the cougar have?

• Over 40 (correct)
• Only 1
• Exactly 2
• About 5

It holds the Guinness record for most names, with over 40 in English alone.

4. What was the cougars' winter hunting success on elk and mule deer in central Idaho?

• 10%
• 50%
• 82% (correct)
• 76%

In central Idaho they succeeded 82% of the time on elk and mule deer in winter.

5. Where does the cougar rank among cat species by size?

• Largest
• Fourth-largest (correct)
• Second-largest
• Smallest

The cougar is the fourth-largest cat species.

More about the Mountain Lion

Same week

All lessons

Nature documentaries