1. T HE F EROCIOUS P UMA By: Carley Kizer

2. G ENERAL I NFORMATION My animal is in the vertebrate group mammal. The puma’s scientific name is Felis Concolor. The puma can live up to 20 years at the most.

3. P HYSICAL C HARACTERISTICS The puma has a red orange pelt, their long tail is black- tipped. They have a white stomach, chest, and muzzle. The puma has black spots when they are six months or younger. Can grow to 24 inches to 28 inches fully grown. Females are 75 to 130 pounds, while the males are usually 145 to 230 pounds. My mammal has fur. The tail helps the puma have agility, they have long, strong muscular back legs, helping the puma jump up to 15 inches in a bound. The ears are hearing sensitive, helping the puma hear better.

4. H ABITAT The puma lives in the Americas, northwestern Canada, and southernmost of Argentina. In Argentina, it gets cold and is rainy. In Canada, it gets to 0 degrees Fahrenheit. It can differ from the rainy, marsh forest, long grassy lands, arid scrub, the high land, or the sandy, hot desert. In Argentina it rains a lot, in Canada it is around 0 degrees Fahrenheit to up to 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the warmer months. In the Americas it can be warm and humid, but have colder winters.

5. B EHAVIORS The puma eats certain types of mammals, birds, and insects. The puma hunts for prey. First, it stalks, pausing when the prey looks up. Then, judging the distance reasonably, it will leap. The force is enough to snap the neck of the prey. The puma gives birth. The puma can have up to 1 to 4 young at a time.

6. I NTERESTING F ACTS ! If you measure the strength of a tiger and a puma by weight, the puma is more powerful than the tiger. The puma’s mouth palates have ridges that give grip. Pumas have a property ladder, where the eldest puma has the best territory.