puma

Everyday

A puma is a large wild cat of North and South America with a plain sandy-brown coat and a long tail. It is also called a cougar or mountain lion. tree →

In the lessons

In science and nature lessons the puma is a predator and a carnivore; it hunts deer and lives in mountains, forests and deserts from Canada to the tip of South America. It cannot roar but can purr, hiss and scream. In stories it is a silent, powerful hunter. Puma is also the name of a sports clothing company.

Examples

• A puma can leap high into a tree. tree →
• The puma stalked a deer through the forest. tree →
• Pumas live alone except for mothers with cubs. tree →
• Puma, cougar and mountain lion are three names for the same cat. tree →
• Puma cubs are born with spots that fade as they grow. tree →
• Hikers in Canada were warned about a puma nearby. tree →
• But the puma easily saw through these excuses, and laughed at him. tree →

Note

Countable: one puma, two pumas. The same animal has several names: puma, cougar, mountain lion, panther (in Florida). Pumas are not big cats in the scientific sense because they cannot roar. Do not confuse with the jaguar, which has spots.