A Cougar is a North American sandy colored puma. They are sometimes known as Mountain Lions. Cougars are mostly nocturnal animals, searching for food and hunting during the night, although they have been known to move around in the daytime too. They are solitary animals, that spend much of their lives on their own.

What do cougars eat in the wild?

What do Cougars Eat are generally grazing creatures such as deer, elk, mountain goats, moose, and wild sheep. Juvenile cougars will also hunt raccoons, rabbits, rodents, hares, rabbits, and coyotes.

When food is scarce, cougars have been known to venture into areas inhabited by humans to snatch livestock and even pets. Adult cougars will usually hunt every ten days or so, and what do cougars eat is on average 20 pounds of food at each feed.

What kind of animal eats a cougar?

Cougars are apex predators in most of the areas they inhabit, but in some environments they compete for food sources with bears and wolves.

When this situation occurs, violent clashes can erupt and cougars have been known to have been killed by wolves, and occasionally bears. Humans are responsible for killing the vast majority of cougars that die from unnatural causes.

Although cougars are protected by law in many states in America, and can only be hunted if a special license is obtained, if a cougar is found on a person’s property and is causing damage to domestic animals, it can be killed without a license.

People are also permitted to kill cougars if they pose a reasonable threat to their lives.

How does a cougar attack its prey?

Cougars hunt by hiding themselves amongst canyons, rock outcroppings and dense vegetation. They will stalk their prey for long periods of time, before pouncing when they observe an available opportunity.

Like other species of puma, what do cougars eat is sometimes prey that they killed at an earlier time, which they buried, to then dig up and consume later.

What do you do if you see a cougar?

Cougars sightings are relatively rare, but there are a number of things you can do to prevent and fend off a cougar attack.

Firstly, never offer a cougar food and try to avoid taking meats and strong-smelling food with you outdoors in areas in which cougar live. This is because food odours have been known to attract them.

Due to their size, cougars may attempt to attack children instead of adults. If you see a cougar and you are with small children, pick them up immediately, but do not run. As what do cougars eat is generally grazing animals, running away from a cougar may actually stimulate their hunting instincts, and it may try to chase you down.

Do not turn away from the cougar and keep your face towards it while speaking out in a strong firm voice. Take slow, deliberate steps backwards and ensure you leave an escape route for the cougar, so that it does not feel trapped and lash out.

Attempt to appear larger than the cougar, by stepping onto higher ground, or lifting your outer garments above your head. If it seems likely that a cougar intends to pounce, begin to shout, and wave your arms about. You should also throw any objects you can find towards it.

All of these actions are to try to get the cougar to see you as a credible predator and not just their prey.