Costa Rican cougar
| Costa Rican Cougar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Genus: | Puma |
| Species: | P. concolor |
| Subspecies: | P. c. costaricensis |
| Trinomial name | |
| Puma concolor costaricensis (Merriam, 1901) | |
The Costa Rican cougar (Puma concolor costaricensis)[1] is a subspecies of cougar. It is listed as least concern by the IUCN.[2] This felid usually hunts at night and may sometimes travel long distances in search of food. Its average litter size is 3 cubs. The animal has a solid tan-colored coat without spots. This particular subspecies ranks as the second largest cat in Costa Rica and can be found in various places and habitats. They weigh 25–80 kg.[3] Like other cougars, it is amazingly fast, and can maneuver quite easily and skillfully. Even though conservation efforts of the Costa Rican cougar have decreased against the "more appealing" jaguar, it is hunted less frequently because it has no spots, and is thus less desirable to hunters.[1]
References
- 1 2 "Cougar Subspecies". Panthera. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ↑ "Puma concolor (Cougar, Deer Tiger, Mountain Lion, Puma, Red Tiger)". Iucnredlist.org. 2008-06-30. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
- ↑ Sunquist, Mel; Sunquist, Fiona (2002). Wild Cats of the World. The University of Chicago Press. p. 452. ISBN 0-226-77999-8.