Puma concolor is the scientific name given to the feline commonly known as the Puma, an iconic predator of Patagonia whose name comes from the Quechua language meaning "powerful animal." Throughout its distribution, the puma has coexisted with more human communities than any other mammal on Earth, who have given it over 80 common names (probably approaching a hundred), including Pangui in the Mapuzungun language spoken by Mapuche communities, or Ckuru from the Kunza language of the Lickan Antai communities of the Andean highlands, Gṓlən in the Aonikenk language, or Kiuc'ar Arlai in the Kaweskar language. This animal has been an important part of the culture of the communities with which it has coexisted, being associated with strength and the supraterrenal world.

Distribution

The puma inhabits an impressive diversity of habitats, ranging from coastal environments to high mountains, from deserts to rainforests. From the southern end of its distribution in Alaska to the Strait of Magellan, we have only one species of puma, Puma concolor. However, six subspecies have been defined based on their unique genetic characteristics. In Laguna Amarga and the Magallanes Region, we have only one subspecies, also shared with the rest of Patagonia and Chile, called Puma concolor puma.

Characteristics

As its Latin name says, concolor, the puma is an animal with uniformly colored fur, which can range from brown to reddish and gray, and its cubs show spotted fur with black spots. It is a great jumper, and its hind legs are proportionally larger than its front legs. Its tail is approximately 1/3 of the total length of its body, which can reach just over 2 meters in length. On average, males are larger than females, with a weight that generally ranges from 50 to 80 kilograms, while in females their weight varies between 35 and 50 kilograms. In the wild, pumas can live between 12 and 13 years, while in captivity their life expectancy can reach 20 years.

Reproduction

Pumas have a gestation period that lasts 90 days, and although they can have offspring at any time of the year, there are usually pulses of births that coincide with the births of their main prey. In Torres del Paine, it is common to observe cubs a few months old in the first months of the year, probably born during the birthing season of guanacos between late November and December of the previous year. In their first days of life, cubs mainly feed on maternal milk, and from three to four weeks of age, when they are able to move with some ease on the terrain, they can begin to consume what will later be their main source of food: the meat. The cubs remain with their mother for a period that can last on average between 12 and 18 months, after which they are capable of traveling even hundreds of kilometers in search of what will be their future territory.

Feeding

Depending on where it lives, the puma can feed on a wide range of prey, such as hares, camelids, rodents, deer, fish, and birds, among others. It usually prefers large prey, which it hunts by stealth, approaching a distance that allows it to deliver a precise bite to the neck or face after a short chase, causing death by suffocation. Sometimes it can also prey on domestic livestock such as chickens, llamas, sheep, cows, and horses, negatively affecting local livestock activities. When hunting large prey, the puma usually leaves its remains available to be consumed by scavengers. It has been estimated that 65 vertebrates and 215 invertebrates are directly benefited from the carrion left by pumas throughout their distribution range, playing an important role in the balance of the ecosystems where they live.

Communication

As animals with extensive home ranges and low densities, much of the communication between adult individuals is done through visual and olfactory signals, which are left in the terrain to be deciphered by individuals passing through the area. However, when proximity between individuals allows it, communication between pumas is carried out through a series of postural signals or vocalizations ranging from sounds like a whistle to grunts. Unlike other large cats, the puma does not roar, and like small cats, the puma is capable of purring. For this reason, sometimes the puma is considered part of the group of small cats, leaving it apart from the group that includes lions, tigers, jaguars, or leopards. Undoubtedly, when they make the most use of vocalization as a mode of communication, it is when the mother is raising her cubs. These are made in the form of short meows and whistles, which when heard are repeated by the rest of the family group and used as a way to find and reunite with each other.

Among the visual and olfactory signals that the puma uses to communicate, scraping is one of the most common, in which the puma uses its hind legs to draw two grooves in the ground, sometimes sprayed with urine. It is also common for them to leave marks by scratching on trunks or vegetation, or by rubbing their head and cheeks among the vegetation. In each of these signals, the puma leaves pheromones, secreted by special glands located in the anus, cheeks, and paws, which contain the message that is read by other pumas through a special organ called the vomeronasal or Jacobson's organ.

Social or solitary

While until recently it was thought that adult pumas barely interacted with each other beyond reproduction or defending their territory, today’s new information reveals that pumas are more social than previously thought. Based on observations done in the United States and in Torres del Paine National Park and surrounding areas, it was demonstrated that pumas interact with each other more regularly than previously believed. These interactions mainly occurred in association with predation events, where pumas shared their food and tolerated each other. Although these pumas were not related to each other, they shared their territory. Pumas living in closer territories were more likely to share their food than with unknown individuals. These observations revealed a completely new aspect of puma behavior, demonstrating their ability to recognize each other and share reciprocally. Undoubtedly, this is a new chapter in puma biology that will continue to impress us.

Interactions with humans

Our history of interaction with puma populations has a long history. We have shared the same space for thousands of years. And on occasions, this interaction has led us to come into conflict with these large carnivores, which has caused their distribution to decrease to less than half of what it used to be 200 years ago. The great challenge today, in the midst of one of the main environmental catastrophes that we have experienced as a human species, is to find a way to coexist harmoniously with animal populations, including the puma. Today, initiatives are increasingly common in which efforts are made to continue carrying out human activities, such as livestock farming, in coexistence with the puma, or new activities such as tourism, which have given a new value to this great feline of Patagonia. These initiatives demonstrate that there is a possible way forward and that it is possible to live with nature and give new hope to puma populations.

Photo credits: Nicolas Lagos Silva