Puma

Puma. Felis concolor. , The puma is the largest cat in North America: some top 200 pounds. The puma has been forced out of much of its former range by humans., Range: Sparsely distributed, mostly in western North America, Night Sight , Like most cats, pumas are mainly nocturnal. They have excellent night vision, about six times better than that of a person. A special layer of cells in the eye reflect incoming light, so the sensitive cells in the retina get an extra dose of light , direct and reflected., Learning the Game , Like all cats, young pumas must be taught how to hunt. The kittens remain with their mothers for one to two years, until they have perfected their hunting skills. When they are old enough to survive on their own, they leave for new territory., Persecuted Predator , Pumas rarely prey on humans. Since 1900, prime puma habitat was developed for farms and homes. As a result, people were more likely to have a close encounter with pumas. A fatal ending was rare for humans, but common for pumas. During this time, over 70,000 wild pumas were killed.