Animal Spotlight

Puma, Cougar, Mountain Lion. A Cat of Many Names!

Habitat: Quite diverse. Deserts, mountain forests and lowland swamps.

Range: Throughout North and South America

Diet: White-tailed deer, mule deer, sheep, rodents, rabbits, porcupines, and beavers.

Life Span: Average between 10 and 15 years of age.

Life Cycle: Females give birth to 1-6 cubs in the spring. The average litter size is 3. The young stay with their mother for 1-2 years.

Markings: Young cubs have spots and blue eyes. Adult coloration varies from red-brown to silver-gray.

Adaptations: Most agile and biggest jumper of the big cats. Pumas can jump from a standing position up to 13 feet and from a run up to 39 feet. They can also run very quickly.

Facts: Pumas are most active in the morning and in the evening. These cats are also quite solitary. They have been know to travel over 25 miles in a night. Males have been know to kill up to 100 small mammals per year. In its movements and general behavior, the puma is like the domestic cat.

Conservation Status: The puma is becoming more rare and some subspecies are threatened with extinction. One reason for this is the loss of habitat.

On Exhibit: John Ball Zoo's Puma can be viewed daily in the North American Area along the trail to the Boardwalk. The John Ball Zoo has two pumas. They were found wandering the streets of Salt Lake City when they were just 8 months old. They had obviously lost their mother somewhere. When it was clear that the cubs could not be released in the wild, a home was found for the two here at the John Ball Zoo.

Give Someone the "Purr-fect" Gift! Sponsor the Pumas at John Ball Zoo! For just $35.00 you can sponsor the Pumas at the Zoo for yourself or someone special. When you sponsor the Pumas you will receive a sponsor certificate, an information sheet with a color photo, subscription to the Zoo News magazine, recognition on the Sponsor Sign in the Zoo and a plush Puma! Call Lisa at (616) 336-3309 to sponsor the Pumas today or print our application on the John Ball Zoo Society web site and mail it to
us!

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