Wild cats of North America include bobcats, lynx, ocelots, cougars (also called pumas, mountain lions, and other regional names), jaguars, and jaguarundis. These are all considered native to North America.
I want to talk about cougars. They are large cats, statistically the fourth largest of the feline family, behind lions, tigers, and jaguars. Males may weigh up to 250 pounds, while females usually weigh between 75 and 100 pounds. They are solitary and roam over the western 20 – 25% of North America but spread out a little more in South America. Total population is about 50,000 in the Americas.
I live west of Seattle, on the Olympic Peninsula. About three-quarters of the Peninsula is covered with protected park and forest preserve. People, about 100,000 or so of us, live close to the shores. Critters reign over the middle of the territory.
Cougars in Washington state can be found from the Cascades in the east to the Pacific in the west. The cats are reclusive and difficult to count, but an estimated 2000 live in the state.
Nobody knows how many cougars actually live on the Peninsula but signs of their residence can be found easily. The animal prefers habitats with dense underbrush and clear rocky areas for stalking. Cougars of Olympic National Park tend to live in the mountains and forests.
Being cats, cougars are apex predators. They prey mainly on elk and deer, but may also eat smaller mammals and rodents.
Cougars play an important role in maintaining Olympic ecology. By eating the large herbivores, they make sure that our forests and fields are able to grow healthy and lush. In areas where apex predators have been removed, overgrazing of vegetation leads to a variety of issues for the environment. Lack of grasses and deciduous trees can cause erosion of the forest floor and lack of ample nutrition for wildlife as far too many animals push for food. Apex predators promote biodiversity.
We humans are just now coming to terms with being part of the biome. We also benefit from biodiversity. Humans are also apex predators and are therefore utterly dependent on a healthy, diverse food chain. Yes, the big cats are beautiful but they are also critically important to our wellbeing. We need them.