.gif)
Puma (genus)
Encyclopedia
Puma is a genus in Felidae
that contains the cougar (also known as the puma, among other names) and the jaguarundi
, and may also include several poorly known Old World
fossil representatives (for example, Puma pardoides
, or "Owen's panther," a large cougar-like cat of Eurasia's Pleistocene
).
Felidae
Felidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the strictest carnivores of the thirteen terrestrial families in the order Carnivora, although the three families of marine mammals comprising the superfamily pinnipedia are as carnivorous as the...
that contains the cougar (also known as the puma, among other names) and the jaguarundi
Jaguarundi
The jaguarundi is a small-sized wild cat native to Central and South America. In 2002, the IUCN classified the jaguarundi as Least Concern as it is likely that no conservation units, with the probable exception of the mega-reserves of the Amazon basin could sustain long-term viable populations. It...
, and may also include several poorly known Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
fossil representatives (for example, Puma pardoides
Panthera pardoides
Puma pardoides or Owen's panther is an extinct prehistoric cat, long regarded as a primitive species of leopard...
, or "Owen's panther," a large cougar-like cat of Eurasia's Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
).
Species
- Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771) – CougarPuma pardoidesPuma pardoidesPuma pardoides or Owen's panther is an extinct prehistoric cat, long regarded as a primitive species of leopard...
(OwenRichard OwenSir Richard Owen, FRS KCB was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist.Owen is probably best remembered today for coining the word Dinosauria and for his outspoken opposition to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
, 1846) – Owen's Panther - Puma yagouaroundiJaguarundiThe jaguarundi is a small-sized wild cat native to Central and South America. In 2002, the IUCN classified the jaguarundi as Least Concern as it is likely that no conservation units, with the probable exception of the mega-reserves of the Amazon basin could sustain long-term viable populations. It...
(GeoffroyÉtienne Geoffroy Saint-HilaireÉtienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire was a French naturalist who established the principle of "unity of composition". He was a colleague of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and expanded and defended Lamarck's evolutionary theories...
, 1803) – Jaguarundi