The mountain lion is North America's 2nd largest feline after the Jaguar. It has many names associated with it; Cougar, Mountian Lion, Painter, Catamount, Panther, All refer to the cat, Felis Concolor, Cat of one color. The tawny cat can very eluasive as it roams his territory wich can range about 2-3 sq. miles for females, and up to 10 sq. miles for males. The males territory can border and overlap several female's territories giving him the best chance to find a receptive mate. The Cougars range is fairly vast, from portions of Canada down the Western United States and continuing into Central and South America. The cougar oce resided in every state in the lower 48 but were hunted, trapped, and systematicly exterminated as vermin. Now they are found mainly in the western dry area of the US. Califonia, New Mexico, Arizona. A small subspeicies pocket still lives in southern Florida.

The cougar lives mainly a solitary lifestyle wandering through out their territory hunting and patrolling the boundries. When a female comes into season she is receptive to males advances for about 10-14 days. She will anounce her readiness with scent and sound, screaming and spraying urine on bushes and trees. When a male comes calling to her he courts her and she controls the situation, she will only mate when she is ready. The male will stay with her while she is receptive and will mate her many times. After which he will leave to find another potential mate. If the union is successfull and the female becomes pregnant she will carry the cubs for 90- 96 days. She will then find a secluded den site, possibly a small cave, to give birth to 2 to 4 cubs and guard and care for them for around 18 months when she then will chase them off to start their own territories

In the southern portion of Florida, The Everglades lives a small number of the endagered Fl Panther. A sub species of the cougar with the name Felis Concolor Coryi. The outward differences are the crook in the tail end, and the cowlicks along its back. Only 30-40 of these majestic cats reamain in the wild. Habitat losses, human harassment, and the all too occastional encounter with cars are the threat that the panther has to face. Great advances have been made to protect this fragile speices, the State Animal of Florida. Underpasses along Interstate 75 (Alligator Alley) decreased the number of road collision fatalities. Attempts to bring in Texas cougars to help bolster the gene pool of the endagered cat had met with both human critisism and natural troubles. Some people beleived that to bring in a different species cougar would weaken the Panthers gene so that it would no longer be a true Fl. panther. Others feel that it would strengthen the Cat since the two species intermixed before man's intervention.