Sunday Funday Monday Leftover Knowledge Drip
Every Monday at 7pm central, TipsyRoo and I host (except when we don't) a live community event where, collectively, we solve a NY Times Sunday crossword puzzle (without using internet search engines!). Each week following the episode I will select a clue/answer from that puzzle and delve further into the history & look for fun facts.
Drip #10: Puma
Puzzle Date: March 8th, 2015
Puzzle Theme: Poetic Injustice
Episode: 50, recorded live on March 8th, 2021
Clue: Mountain cat
Answer: puma
THE BEGINNING SECTION OF THIS BLOG ENTRY
These past few years I've started to take quite a bit more interest in the outdoors and especially the wildlife within. I'm not a hunter or a fisherperson, and I really don't care for "roughing it"; my enjoyment of the outdoors is merely appreciation; being able to take in the awe-inspiring landscapes, witness random animals going about their business, or just watch the clouds roll on by has, on more than one occasion, pulled me out from a pit of depressive despair. I've been fortunate to be able to see numerous breathtaking sights and be in the presence of various creatures of the Sonoran Desert. And I cannot get enough.
As I was going through the list of clues & answers, I realized that I did not know a whole lot about this one AND is one I've never encountered.
Unless it's from a safe distance, I hope I never do...
(this is where I say that if I'm ever killed by a wild cat, my last words will have been "here kitty kitty")
THIS IS THE HEADER FOR THE MIDDLE PART!
The puma, also known as cougar, mountain lion or panther, with a round head and often erect ears, is a large, secretive cat of the Americas commonly found in mountainous regions. Their fur varies in color from brown-yellow to a grey-red and they have four retractable claws on both their fore and hind paws.
Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon (territory of Canada that's east of Alaska) to the southern Andes in South America. With the exception of mothers and their cubs, these large cats live mostly solitary lives; recent data suggests that they maintain some sort of distance from each other, but close enough to maximize reproductive success.
“copulation can occur 50-70 times, every 24 hours”
To compensate for long periods of solitude, pumas participate in some of the most vigorous breeding behavior known to exist among mammals. In a 7 to 8 day period, copulation can occur 50-70 times, every 24 hours.
A puma's life expectancy in the wild is 8 to 13 years and in that time a female will produce a litter every 2 to 3 years throughout her reproductive life and each litter size is 1 to 6 cubs; by 6 months old, cubs are beginning to hunt small prey on their own.
The puma is an ambush predator that will eat any animal it can catch, mostly deer and other mammals.
SOME STATS & NEATO FACTS
4th largest cat species worldwide.
Adult males: 6-8 feet long (from nose to tail tip) and weigh 117-220 pounds; adult females: 5-7 feet long and 64-141 pounds.
They can reach speeds up to 50 miles per hour. (short bursts; they do not maintain this speed over long distance)
Able to leap as high as 18 feet (vertically) and 40-45 feet horizontally (this is about the length of an American school bus!).
With 18 South American names, 25 native North American, and 40 English names, they are known as "the cat of many names".
The puma is dangerous, but you are more likely to be hit by lightning than attacked by a puma. In the past 100 years, there have been 125 documented attacks, 27 of which were fatal. (for comparison, dogs kill 30-50 humans each year)
Puma paw prints have a distinctive 'M' shape formed by three lobes on the pad; in addition, their claw marks do not show in the track.
Pumas, like the common domestic cat, enjoy catnip!
And they purr & meow! (see video below)
BYE BYE FOR NOW
That’s it for now! In the meantime, be kind to yourself, be kind to others, and be kind to nature or I’ll send Skip to haunt you.
REFERENCES
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cougar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puma_(genus)
https://bigcatrescue.org/cats-in-a-spin-over-catnip/
https://www.livescience.com/27267-pumas.html
https://www.mountainlion.org/librarypublicationsbookcougartheamericanlion.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_cougar_attacks_in_North_America
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States
Sunday Funday Monday is the brain-child of TipsyRoo that I’ve been honored to be a part of as he continues to enjoy my dumb jokes and beyond gorgeous face. Past episodes can be found on YouTube. But it’s a much better viewing experience when viewed live. The puzzle’s a catalyst for interacting with the community, creating shared experiences, and fun learning or sometimes just a whole pile of dumb jokes and silly faces.
