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Eastern Cougar

Felis concolor

by Jane Krupnick
Updated by Allison Mains, Jim Dean and Colleen Olfenbuttel
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Creative Commons, Attribution, No derivative works



Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora

Average Size

Length: 6-8 ft., including a long, curving tail.
Height: male 27 in.; female 24 in.
Weight: male 150 lbs.; females 100 lbs.


Deer, elk, porcupines, mice, game birds, fish, slugs, grasshoppers, martens, skunks, raccoons, foxes and other small mammals.


Cougars become sexually mature at 2 or 3 years old, and usually mate in August or spring. Males may mate with several females. On average, females will bear a litter once every 2-3 years.


Called kittens. Cougars weigh 8-16 ozs. when born in litters of 1-6 kittens after a gestation period of 96 days. Their eyes remain closed for 14 days, and they are usually weaned after 4 or 5 weeks. Kittens will stay with their mother for up to 2 years.

Life Expectancy

Average 12 years

Range MapRange and Distribution

Cougars are known to cover 20 to 25 miles in one night, marking their territories with urine and piles of feces. Despite the historic declines in numbers, surviving subspecies of cougars are still distributed more widely north and south than any New World mammal, ranging from southern Canada to the southern tip of South America. At one time, they also ranged from coast to coast in North America, but by the 1900s they had largely disappeared east of the Mississippi, leaving only the small confirmed population of Florida panthers in southern Florida.

General Information



History and Status

Originally there were 11 subspecies of cougars native to North America, but only two of them— the Eastern cougar and Florida cougar—were found east of the Mississippi River. Today, only a handful of Florida cougars still survive in southern Florida, and most biologists believe the native Eastern cougar (Felis concolor) has been extinct for many years.

Sightings of cougars or their tracks are still reported occasionally in parts of the East, including North Carolina. However, upon investigation, these sightings and tracks often prove to be other animals, such as bobcats, coyotes, dogs, or black bears. Some of the cougar sightings made in recent years may have been captive animals that escaped or were illegally released in the East. Early records of North Carolina mammals indicate that the Eastern cougar’s populations declined throughout the 18th century as a result of persecution, hunting, loss of habitat and the parallel decline of its major prey species, the white-tailed deer. It is thought that by 1900, the Eastern cougar was extirpated throughout North Carolina. The Eastern cougar is protected as an endangered species in North Carolina.





Habitat and Habits

The cougar can survive in a variety of climates and habitats, and is at home in mountains, forests, desert scrub, swamps and jungles. Cougars usually hunt on the ground and depending on where they live and when their prey is active, they may hunt either day or night. When capturing their prey, the cougar stalks, rushes, pounces and then inflicts a bite on the nape of its prey’s neck. After feeding, the cougar may cover the remains and return later to finish the meal.

The male cougar is generally a loner until mating, at which time he pairs with the female for two weeks. Prior to mating, males are very aggressive and may even kill competing males. Although these animals are known to be secretive and quiet, they may let out an eerie scream during the mating period.

People Interactions

Cougars are so secretive that even in parts of the American West where they are still quite common, many people live their entire lives without seeing one. Likewise, danger to humans has been largely exaggerated, and although there have been attacks on people, they are quite rare. A cougar is highly unlikely to attack unless it is cornered or a female cat perceives that there is a threat to her young.

As with most wildlife, the greatest threat to cougars is loss of habitat though human activities. Where cougar populations are stable and sport hunting is permitted under carefully designed regulations, there are no indications that current hunting has a negative impact upon current populations.

NCWRC Interaction: How You Can Help

Though cougars have been extirpated from North Carolina since 1900, the NCWRC still receives reports from the public on sightings of cougars or cougar tracks. Upon investigation, NCWRC biologists have concluded that many reports of cougar sightings or their tracks are misidentification of both domestic and wild animals. Domestic cats and dogs, coyotes, bobcats, and red foxes infected with mange are the most common animals mistaken for cougars. It is possible that some sightings can be attributed to captive cougars that have escaped or been illegally released. During the 1980s, two captive cougars were found feeding at a dumpster in Tyrell County. No tangible evidence exists that wild cougars currently exist in North Carolina.

NCWRC also receives reports of “black panthers.” The only species that fits this description is a leopard and jaguar, which is a spotted cat whose size overlaps with that of the North American cougar, often with spots that are difficult to discern. Jaguars are native to Mexico, Central and South America and range as far north as South Texas, New Mexico and Arizona; no wild jaguars have been reported outside of the southwestern United States. Leopards are native to Africa, Central Asia, India, and China. However, many of their populations are endangered, especially outside of Africa. It is most likely that folks are seeing a black bear or a bobcat in the shadows. As with cougars, it is also possible that it is a captive jaguar or leopard that has escaped or been illegally released.


To see a cougar in action, go to:


Beebe, B.F. American Lions and Cats (David McKay Co., Inc., 1963).
Denis, Armand. The Cats of the World (Houghton Mifflin Co., 1964).
Hall, E. Raymond. The Mammals of North America (Wiley-Interscience Publication, 1981).
Lee, David S., John B. Funderburg Jr. and Mary K. Clark. A Distributional Survey of North Carolina Mammals. (N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, 1982).
Russell, J.K. and D.R. Voight. The Encyclopedia of Mammals, ed. D. Macdonald (Facts on File, 1984).


Illustrated by J.T. Newman. Other photos by North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.





Since 1965, I have gathered over 11,300 in-person reports of wild, free-roaming, native cougars-mountain lions in states east of the Mississippi River. 60% of reported sightings were by individuals with wildlife or mammal training backgrounds. 23% came from professional, trained observers, including police-law enforcement or game/wildlife protectors....persons who knew exactly what type of wildlife species, they had seen.


On Sunday March 16, 2014 at 6:30 PM, I was talking to a friend of mine on the phone who was leaving Wilmington, NC via 1-40 West. The traffic he said was very heavy but as we were talking he stopped speaking and said "OMG, that was a big cat,!!". I said, "What?" and he stated how he had just seen, what he was sure of, a dead large feline, about 4 foot long and tan, on the shoulder of the road . He said it was around milemarker 409 (I-40 West). He said he was positive it was a "cat" of some type with a broad face and long tail. He figured it weighed well above 50 or 60 lbs. Again it was tan. I told him that it was possible he had just seen a cougar that are supposedly extinct in NC. He wished he could have turned around and went back to at least get photos but couldn't because of time restraints and his family wanting to get home. Don't know if it us still there but if someone is in the area it might be worth a look. We live in Raleigh.




I saw a cougar in northwestern Craven County in 2010. It ran across the road in front of my car and then disappeared into the forest. It was mid-late morning, summer.


I saw a cougar while I was deer hunting from a tree stand about 10 yrs. ago in Jenkinsville, SC. Right at dawn, he walked out onto an old roadbed, plain as day. I had an M-1 carbine trained on him for a good minute, He would walk a few steps and freeze, then a few more and freeze, did this several times until he was almost right at my stand, suddenly turned his head up and stared directly in my eyes for what seemed an eternity. He finally slank down low and slithered into the bushes without a sound. He had a tan hide similar to a deer and a smokey face and ears and a long tale, very sleek like a cheetah, size of a large dog, less than a 100 lbs. I've told wildlife agents about it twice and they laugh at me. I know what I saw, it was quite light enough to see and there was nothing between him and me. I had originally aimed my gun at him thinking it was deer coming out of the brush but couldn't beleive what I was seeing. I could have shot him to prove his existence, but conscience wouldn't let me. It was a beautiful animal and it was not a bobcat.


Saw a cougar cross over the Blue Ridge Parkway while driving near the Craggy Gardens area. Unmistakably a cougar, large cat with a rather long tail. Leaped down from a rock, then ran in front of the car for a few seconds before veering off to the other side thru roadside vegetation and out of sight.

My father was a guest of a deer hunting club down in Pender County years ago and was told by the local members they had seen cougar(s) several times over the years.


I saw a large cougar as we departed Crabtree Falls, N.C. This was on the morning of June 25, 2012. Of course, no one will believe it, but I saw it. No bobcat or the like. Lori Opper

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