Mountain lion of cougar

Cougar has been known by many names: puma, mountain lion, cougar, catamount, mountain screamer, sneak cat, panther and more.

The name cougar is a combination of the two Brazilian words for the jaguar (Pantera onca); cuacuara and quacuara. The name puma, adopted in the late 1700s by the Spanish conquistadores, comes from the Peruvian Quechua Indians.

The cougar was originally described as Felis concolor by Linnaeus in 1758 and later recognized as Felis (Puma) concolor by Jardine in 1834, with puma recognized as a subgenus of Felis. In 1973 taxonomists reclassified Puma as a separate genus.

Molecular evidence indicates that the cougar is a member of the puma lineage, which includes cheetah and jaguarandi and not allied with the small cat genus Felis.

Cougar is its South American name and name comes from the Quechua language spoken by the Incas.

The cougar is the second-largest cat in the western hemisphere. It is also one of the fastest and most powerful of animals. But it tires quickly. It is powerful enough to kill with its bite or its claws.

Cougars have an amazing ability to adapt to almost any type of habitat. They can swim, climb trees, and jump up to 15 feet high.

All the skills, along with their sharp eyesight and keen hearing, make them excellent hunters that can adapt to life in mountains, forest, desert, plains and wetlands.

The cougar generally subsists on birds and small quadruples, such as young deer, raccoons, skunks and the like: in South America the monkeys and peccaries frequently become its prey.
Mountain lion of Cougar

Mountain lion

Many names have been applied to the mountain lion: cougar, panther, painter, puma, catamount. The most commonly used today are cougar and mountain lion.

These are very dangerous animals, and during the past decade they have killed a number hikers.

The mountain lion has the widest distribution of any mammal in the Western Hemisphere, from northern British Columbia to the southern tip of South America. Lions measure anywhere from six to nine feet long from nose to tip of tail, although any cat over seven feet would be considered big.

Average weight falls somewhere between 100 to 150 pounds for toms, and 80 to 100 for females. A flesh eater, the mountain lion prefers the meat of its own kill – horseflesh, venison and beef – rather than carrion.

This great brown and gray cat will lie in wait for hours on cliffs and shelves above the game trails, ready to leap on the unwary deer, elk or calf that passes below.

Its wild, screaming cry often sounds through the forest from the high ledges, as he wonders tirelessly on his night hunt.
Mountain lion

Alpacas of Andes Mountains

Alpacas are members of the camelid family. The camelid family includes camels from Africa and Llamas, alpacas, guanacos and vicunas from South America.

In South America, alpacas live in the cold, windy Andes Mountains. The alpaca is farmed mainly for fibre. Alpacas are also used to guard other stock. Males over two years of age are particularly useful to chase fixes or dogs, protecting other livestock such as sheep.

South American camelids were a vital part of life in the Andes in the days of the Incas before the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors. During that time, the wearing of robes of alpaca was reserved for the nobility and royalty.

Alpacas are slender-bodied animals with a long neck and legs, a short tail, a small head and large pointed ears. They are about one-half the size of a llama, Alpacas weigh between 100-200 pounds and are about 36 tall at the withers.

Alpacas can come in a very wide variety of colors. The main colors though are brown, black, white palomino and grey.

They are known to be hardy and disease resistant and protective of their young from dogs and foxes. 

Alpacas come in two varieties, distinguishable by their fleece. Huacaya alpacas have shorter crimpier, spongy fibres, whereas Suri alpacas have longer straight fibres with no crimp.
Alpacas of Andes Mountains

Wild goat

In the zoological classifications of the animal kingdom, the goat belongs to the cloven-hoofed, ruminant family of the Bovidae, the homed ones, to which sheep, cattle and gazelles also belong.

The wild goat (Capra aegagrus) is a widespread species of goat, with a distribution ranging from Europe and Asia Minor to central Asia and the Middle East. It is the ancestor of the domestic goat.

Four wild goat species make up the genus of the goat:
*Capra ibex
*Capra pyrenaica
*Capra hircus
*Capra falconieri

All these wild goat species are still extant today. Wild goats have a social system and behavioral repertoire that is ideally suited to potential domestication. They are accustomed to a single dominant leader.

In many regions in Asia, wild goats are heavily hunted and are in some danger of extermination.

Wild goats live in all mountainous places. For example, wild goat of Capra hircus is found in the hills of Kashmir. It has a limited occurrence in the Himalaya.
Wild goat

Llama

Llamas are native to South America and belong to the same family as camels.

Llamas have been raised in several countries in South America for hundreds of years. It is among the world’s oldest domestic animals.

Llamas are social and curious animals. Some llamas are extremely well trained, while other may never have been touched.

They are well adapted to the cool, thin mountain air of Andes Mountains but can adapt to most climatic conditions. The high oxygen affinity of its hemoglobin enables its blood to take up oxygen at the low pressure.

Llamas and camels are part of a group of animals called camelids. Being related to the camel, llamas can last longer than many other animals between drinks of water and can subsist on low quality.

In North America, Europe and Australia llamas are used as pet animals, backpacking for trekking expedition, tourism, cart pulling, parades and fairs, guardians of other livestock such as sheep.
Llama