Pumas

Cougar

What you need to know about the Cougar

Cougars, also known as mountain lions or pumas, are solitary and elusive big cats native to North and South America. They are skilled ambush predators with powerful builds, capable of leaping great distances to catch prey. Cougars inhabit a variety of habitats, from mountains to forests, and play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem balance as top predators.

Interesting facts about Cougar

Wide Range: Cougars have the largest range of any wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. They are found from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes of South America.

Stealthy Hunters: Cougars are known for their stealth and ambush hunting tactics. They stalk prey quietly and can leap up to 5.5 meters (18 feet) horizontally to pounce on their target.

Variety in Diet: Cougars are adaptable hunters and have a diverse diet that includes deer, elk, small mammals like rabbits and rodents, and occasionally livestock. They are opportunistic feeders and can survive on a wide range of prey species.

Highlights where the Cougar can be seen

Torres del Paine
Torres del Paine national park

The Torres del Paine National Park is located about 112 km north of the small city of Puerto Natales in the Chilean Patagonia. Chile's most spectacular National Park is under protection by UNESCO since 1978 to preserve the natural treasure it contains. Torres del Paine is known for its vast hiking trails with mountain huts located on the most remote places, fascinating icebergs, glaciers, turquoise lakes as well as numerous rivers and waterfalls. The park is also home to a wide variety of wild animals like the Guanacos, Darwin's Rheas, Gray foxes, Cougars, and of course the Andean Condor. One of the most iconic sites of the park are "las Torres", three great granite towers embedded in the Paine mountain range. These magnificent peaks are what the park took its name from, and it is known by travelers all over the world. Thanks to the unpredictable Patagonian climate, no day is like the one before and it's not uncommon to experience sun, wind, rain, and maybe snow in one single day. A visit to the Torres del Paine National Park is truly a paradise for nature lovers and photographers with breathtaking scenery at every turn.

Our trips to spot the Cougar