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Puma Facts & Worksheets

The puma is a large wild cat found in both North and South America. It is extremely adaptable and able to live in a wide range of habitats, from forests to deserts.

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The puma is a large wild cat found in both North and South America. It is extremely adaptable and able to live in a wide range of habitats, from forests to deserts. It is an expert ambush predator, an amazing jumper, and the second largest cat in the Americas.

See the fact file below for more information on the puma or alternatively, you can download our 21-page Puma worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

QUICK FACTS

  • The puma holds the Guinness World Record for the animal with the most number of names. Mountain lion, cougar, catamount, and painter are some other names. In fact, the species has over 40 names in English alone! It also belongs to the felidae family, and has the scientific name Puma concolor.
  • The puma is the world’s fourth largest cat, and is even bigger than some of the true big cats. A male puma is approximately 2.4m long, and a female about 2.05m. Its height is 60-90cm, and weight is 53-120 kg for male, and 29-64 kg for female.
  • The puma’s top speed is between 64 and 80 km/h (40 and 50 mph).

APPEARANCE

  • In appearance, the puma is cat-like, with a strong, muscular body, long fluffy tail, and a flat face.
  • The coat of the puma is pale gold/brown in color, and white on the undersides. The puma’s face is marked with patches of white and some darker lines.
  • The puma has the longest hind legs of any cat for its body size. It is designed for sprinting rather than running long distances, and can attain speeds of 50 mph (80 km/h) over short distances.
  • The puma, like all cats, has retractable claws. Staying retracted when not being used keeps them sharp. The puma’s sharp claws, as well as making excellent weapons, help it to climb trees if it wants to flee from predators.
  • The puma is one of the greatest jumpers in the cat family. It will climb upwards into a tree up to 5.4m (17ft 8.5in.) They have also been seen leaping over level ground a distance of 11.7m (38ft. 4.5in).
  • The front paws of the puma are larger than those of its hind paws.
  • This is an adaptation to be able to capture and hold onto a target.
  • Pumas live in a number of habitats, including desert scrub, chaparral, swamps, and wetlands, but avoid agricultural areas, flatlands, and other environments.

REPRODUCTION & LIFE CYCLE

  • Breeding season usually occurs between December and March, with a gestation period of three months leading to a litter size of up to six kittens.
  • After mating, the male and female part ways; for the remainder of the mating season, the male tends to compete with other females, while the female cares for the kittens on her own.
  • Kittens are born with spots which allow them to hide better from predators. Kittens can consume solid food when they hit the age of 2–3 months, and live with their mother for about a year.
  • The life expectancy in the wild averages 12 years but in captivity can go up to 25 years.

BEHAVIOR

  • Pumas are territorial animals and rely on land, vegetation, and abundance of prey. Pumas are reclusive and will avoid areas where human settlements are formed. In general, female territories are half the size of male territories and can range between 58 to 386 square miles.
  • Females use scrape marks, urine, and feces to mark their territories, which are also used to attract mates. Males will scrape a small pile of leaves and grasses together, and then urinate as a way to mark their territory.
  • Pumas are aggressive cats and are well known for their low pitched hisses, rumbling, and yelling. They are very fast animals, and they can run at speeds of 35 miles per hour, but they are better suited for quick, sharp, strong sprints. Pumas are fine climbers and can swim.

DIET & HUNTING

  • The puma is a carnivorous hunter and stalker and harasses and pursues a wide variety of prey. It is an ambush predator. It either stalks its prey or waits for it to draw close before striking.
  • Their primary diet consists of ungulates including deer, horses, elk, goats, and sheep. The most common source of food to the puma in North America is deer. They even take smaller species, such as raccoons, whales, birds, and even insects.
  • The puma would basically consume any animal that it can capture, even creatures as big as a moose.
  • Pumas will track their victims through bushes and trees and over rock ledges before jumping violently onto their victim’s back and delivering a suffocating bite to their throat.
  • The agile spine of the puma is adapted for the technique of combat.
  • They occasionally take livestock in areas with high populations of them.

Puma Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the puma across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Puma worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the puma which is a large wild cat found in both North and South America. It is extremely adaptable and able to live in a wide range of habitats, from forests to deserts. It is an expert ambush predator, an amazing jumper, and the second largest cat in the Americas.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Puma Facts
  • Puma’s Info
  • One, Two, Three
  • Good or Trash
  • Describing the Parts
  • Puma’s Life Cycle
  • Words to Essay
  • Poem Puma
  • The Habitats
  • Check It Out!
  • What’s New?

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Link will appear as Puma Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, April 28, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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