As cat lovers, we tend to not be very picky about the cats that we choose to love. Because all cats are pawsome - whether we're talking about awwdorable itty bitty kitties or wild cats who would definitely, definitely eat us if they got the chance. But we love them anyway. Why? Because they're awwdorable too. Have you not heard about the rescued bobcat kitten whose favorite toy is fennel - it's impossible to not fall in love with that wild cat. And what about the 5 shy rescued cheetah cubs who tried to make friends with other cheetahs only too be too shy? Easy fall in love with those too.
And then, there are pumas. Pumas may have a reputation for wanting to kill basically everything - which is indeed true - but they are also adorable. They're basically the same as normal cats, just larger. And while we highly recommend adopting cats, we… may think twice about adopting a puma.
"Today I would like to tell you lots of interesting facts about the Puma. Unfortunately if you have seen a normal cat then you already know almost everything about them as Pumas are the same but bigger. However how they impact other animals (even the ones they don't kill) is quite interesting.
Here is Peppermint helping a friend with a neck massage... Or maybe not.
Like all Pumas, Peppermint's fravorite pastime is killing."
"So Instead I will tell you about how Pumas change the state of play for other animals in their areas from recent research work.
Here are Popcorn, Poppy and Psycho. They are too small to kill you yet. It won't be long though."
"Researchers found that pumas are connected to more than 485 species, from carrion beetles to bald eagles. In this picture Pipsqueak is being very fierce. She is looking forward to growing up and killing things."
"How you might ask? Firstly pumas have the largest terrestrial range of any mammal in the Americas. From the Canadian Rockies to Patagonia. This is Peter by the way. He likes to roam and kill over a wide area."
"So when Penelope the Puma has finished killing and eating her lunch another animal might share the seconds."
"From looking at over 150 studies researchers learned the pumas leave over 1.5 million KG of meat a day which other animals eat. Here is Peaches showing her jumping skills on her way to killing something."
"Doesn't Paulina have nice teeth? They are responsible for a lot of killing. 281 species get to feed on carcasses Pumas have killed."
"Just like domestic cats, Pumas do not like water. They are good at it though as will swim if it helps them get a tasty snack. Here Pebbles is getting ready to kill something. Again."
"Pumas like Purpur here are scary enough for prey animals that they create a fear effect. This will keep animals like elk and deer out if they know pumas occupy the area. It's fair enough though as they do kill pretty much everything they can get their claws on."
"Because of the fear effect there can be a huge difference in plant life, birds and even soil quality. If the other animals leave due to fear the entire ecosystem changes. This is Pocahontas by the way. She is cleaning her paws as they were all covered in blood from killing."
"In North Dakota the re-emergence of pumas is thought to have save 1 billion dollars. How? They bring down dear before they can get to the road and cause vehicle collisions. Penny here is showing her friend (off camera) the face she made when she was killing an elk yesterday."
"Researchers found that a total of 40 species are impacted by the fear effect. Pineapple here my be cute but she also may kill you."
"Last but not least some kitty facts while you look at how cute Peachy Pie is. It's safe as she is not hungry. She already killed three animals today.
Pumas live in forests, prairies, deserts, and swamps—they are are solitary, except during breeding or when a mother is caring for her cubs. But they do still have some contact.
The cats live in overlapping home ranges that vary in size from 30 to 125 square miles . Males tend to roam further.
Pumas leave "messages," with feces, urine, and scratch marks. They are vocal and can growl, hiss, mew, yowl, squeak, spit, and purr to get their messages across to other kitties.
They have huge paws and sharp claws for hunting. They have a spine similar to a cheetah and powerful back legs to run quickly.
Pumas are mostly sight hunters and ambush their prey. They live for around 13 years. They can bring down prey three times their size."
"This picture is blurry and a repeat of a good one so I didn't bother to write anything"
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