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Puma concolor
– Near Threatened
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
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ANIMALIA
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Phylum:
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CHORDATA
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Class:
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MAMMALIA
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Order:
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CARNIVORA
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Family:
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FELIDAE
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Scientific Name:
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Puma concolor
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Species Authority:
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(Linnaeus, 1771)
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Infra-specific Taxa Assessed:
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See Puma concolor ssp. coryi
See Puma concolor ssp. couguar
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Common Name/s:
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| English | — | COUGAR, DEER TIGER, MOUNTAIN LION, PUMA, RED TIGER |
| French | — | PUMA |
| Spanish | — | LEÓN AMERICANO, LEÓN BAYO, MITZLI, ONZA BERMEJA, PUMA |
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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NT ver 3.1 (2001)
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Year Assessed:
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2002
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Assessor/s:
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Cat Specialist Group
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Evaluator/s:
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Nowell, K., Breitenmoser, U., Breitenmoser, C. & Jackson, P. (Cat Red List Authority)
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Justification:
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Based on estimates of density and geographic range (Nowell and Jackson 1996), the puma’s total effective population size is estimated at below 50,000 mature breeding individuals, with a declining trend due to persecution and degradation of its habitat and prey base, and may possibly qualify as Vulnerable if these trends persist, or if better information on its status were available.
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History:
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| 1996 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (Baillie and Groombridge 1996) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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The puma has a wide distribution occurring in areas of Canada, the United States, and ranging south through Central and South America. While the puma is an adaptable cat, being found in every major habitat type of the Americas, it was eliminated from the entire eastern half of North America within 200 years following European colonization. Forests were cut down for timber and fuel, deer populations were greatly reduced, and cougars were hunted out. Any remaining eastern populations are considered Critically Endangered, including the Florida Panther.
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Countries:
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Native:
Argentina; Belize; Bolivia; Brazil; Canada; Chile; Colombia; Ecuador; El Salvador; French Guiana; Guatemala; Guyana; Honduras; Mexico; Nicaragua; Paraguay; Peru; Suriname; United States; Uruguay; Venezuela
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Population
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Population:
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This population varies between 30–50, and has been protected by the world’s intensive, and expensive, felid conservation program.
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Population Trend:
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Habitat and Ecology
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Habitat and Ecology:
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The species is found in a broad range of habitats, in all forest types as well as lowland and montane desert. Several studies have shown that habitat with dense understorey vegetation is preferred, however, pumas can live in very open habitats with only a minimum of vegetative cover (Nowell and Jackson 1996). Pumas are capable of taking large prey, but small to medium-sized prey are more important in their diet. This is true of wild prey as well as livestock.
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System:
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Terrestrial
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List of Habitats:
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| 1.4 | Forest - Temperate |
| 1.5 | Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry |
| 2.1 | Savanna - Dry |
| 8.2 | Desert - Temperate |
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Threats
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Threats:
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Across their range, pumas are viewed as a threat to livestock and are persecuted because of this (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
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List of Threats:
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| 5.1 | Persecution - Pest control (ongoing) |
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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Included in CITES Appendix II (eastern and Central American subspecies (F. c. coryi, costaricensis and cougar) Appendix I. The species is protected across much of its range, with hunting prohibited in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and Uruguay, and hunting regulations in place in Canada, Mexico, Peru and the United States (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
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List of Conservation Actions:
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| 1.2.2.1 | Policy-based actions - Legislation - Implementation - International level (in place) |
| 1.2.2.2 | Policy-based actions - Legislation - Implementation - National level (in place) |
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Bibliography
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Bibliography:
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Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (compilers and editors) 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. Cat Specialist Group. For more information, see the Specialist Group website IUCN. 2002. 2002 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. . Downloaded on 8 October 2002. Nowell, K. and Jackson, P. (compilers and editors) 1996. Wild Cats. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. (online version)
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