Cougars, or mountain lions, are solitary cats, except when a female has her cubs. They live in home ranges that may be up to 125 square miles wide.

They are mostly ambush hunters and use their large paws, sharp claws, powerful hind legs and flexibility to maneuver quickly and catch their prey, which includes deer, pigs, raccoons, armadillos, hares, squirrels and even elk or moose.

Cougars can live up to 20 years and reach the age of maturity at two to three years of age. The mother sets up her den to nurse and rear her cubs, which can number from one to six, with three to four being the average litter size at birth. The gestation period is three months, and cubs are kept in the den until they can hunt, at around six months of age.

People often find them to be dangerous pests, and many are hunted.

They can be found in western Canada and the western United States, Florida, Central America and South America.