This cache is one of a series placed in collaboration with the
Zoological Society of Manitoba as a part of the Endangered Species
Cache Game. The Cache is in the Assiniboine Park Zoo. There is a
nominal entrance fee. You can download the game sheet at
www.mbgeocaching.ca or obtain one from the
Zoo Shop
NOTE: You do not have to cross any
barriers to easily find this cache. Crossing barriers is dangerous
to you and the animal.
The cougar is a cat of many names.
Also called a puma, mountain lion, catamount or panther, this
magnificent predator of the Americas is a symbol of successful
adaptation to its environment, yet an indicator of the ever-present
vulnerability of species in the domain of
man.
The
Cougar lives in tropical and
temperate forests, desert, grassland and swamp from Alaska to
Argentina. While still inhabiting an enormous range, it has been
greatly diminished or lost to most areas
(e.g., most of eastern North America). It is an uncommon resident
in Manitoba. The cougar inhabits one of the largest and most
diverse ranges of any land mammal in dozens of habitats from sea
level to 3,350 metres (11,000 ft) elevation. Deer, elk, ground
squirrels, rabbits, and birds comprise its diet. The cougar stalks
its prey within close range, and with a burst of blinding speed and
manoeuvrability, it dispatches its prey with a bite to the neck.
Nimble enough to catch a mouse, it can also overcome an elk six
times its own weight. The male averages 80 kg (maximum 136 kg). The
female can average 50 kg. When cougars are ready to breed, they
scream loudly to attract mates. Only the female takes care of the
one to six young, which become independent in one or two years,
after which the female breeds again.