In general, most cougars have slender bodies, with somewhat round heads and erect ears, and display a solid, tawny-colored coat (which is how they got the name 'concolor'), complete with a whitish underside and slightly dark hair covering the back. 'If you compare a Carolinian white tail deer with its equivalent up in Maine, it's like looking at a labradoodle versus a wolf.' 'Panthers in Florida and the Southeastern U.S., like most creatures there, tend to be a little smaller,' he adds. 'There are no significant differences other than vernacular taxonomy, if you will,' says Charlie Jasper, founder of C&C Security Consultants, whose private clients live on the urban/wilderness divide in Los Angeles, necessitating his expertise in helping them to deny access to predators on their property. The short answer is no, because they are from the same species, but there do tend to be some slight contrasts in overall size due to geographical concerns, diet and climate. So, Are There Any Differences Between Cougars and Mountain Lions? Current mountain lion ranges in the western portion of the U.S., meanwhile, stretch from Texas to the Canadian border, with the only confirmed population in the East found in Florida. The reason: The name used depends on location, and there are a lot of those to be had.ĭue to the cougar's knack for adaptability - think a fast and powerful muscular body, sharp eyesight and keen hearing, as well as the ability to swim, climb trees and jump long distances - this cat can be seen thriving in many varied habitats, from the Southern Andes in South America to the Yukon in Canada, and everywhere from forests to open areas with sparse vegetation.

In fact, the cougar has more monikers than almost any other living mammal, around 40 in English alone. DENNIS AXER PhotographyGetty Imagesĭid you know the cougar holds one of the Guinness World Records for having the most names? Often called 'the cat of many names,' it's referred to as the puma, panther, mountain cat, mountain lion, mountain screamer, painter and catamount, just to name a few. The cougar is known by more names than almost any other living mammal because the name used depends on location, and these cats have a wide range of habitat.

How big is a mountain lion