COUGAR

Mt. Hebo, Oregon

DID YOU KNOW?

What a Nice Birdy

Mountain Lions communicate through visual and olfactory signals - such as hissing, growling, and bird-like whistles! This chirping noise is used as communication with family and group-cohesion.

So, the next time you hear a bird chirping, it might not be coming from the blue bird you are expecting...!

Chicken Pox?

Panther Cubs are born with spots to help with camouflage and hiding for those early years of life. They lose them around 10 months.

That's a long round of having the pox, foof!

That's an Impressive...Horizontal!

Puma's are able to leap up to 20-25 feet and up to 40 feet horizontally!

They are the fourth largest cat in the world - behind lions, tigers, and jaguars.

They are the largest cat to purr and meow.

That's quite a big house cat you have there -just because I meow, don't mean you can pet me! *noted*

Invisibility Cloak

Catamounts don't leave paw prints due to having retractable claws.

They have an extremely large roaming area of about 100-300 squared miles.

Cougars are an Apex predator, meaning they are the top of the food chain and play an absolutely vital role in their ecosystem:

Elk and deep population is maintained
Growth and biodiversity of plants

SPIRITUAL MEANING

Independence - Deer Tiger's live in solitude for the majority of their life and can be a symbol of confidence and grace while moving through life
Silence and Stealth - they see you, but you most likely won't see them
Strong sense of Self - through their self-determination and interconnectedness

UNIQUE

Cougars have 40+ different names that they are referred to as!

"Long-Tails" (as referred to by the Zuni's) have the most names out of any animal due to their wide range of travels - going through pretty much all of North and South America (Canadian Yukon to the Andes). Each cougar's territory is very large - ranging from 100-300 squared miles! They have passed through various locations, languages, cultures, and have picked up many different names and meanings throughout!

Also, they are responsible for planting over 90,000 trees per year and due to their wide range they help with maintaining diversity in the lands they roam through!

PONDER

Names are something we use to describe and define a certain someone or something, but that doesn't mean it defines You. The Cougar is a wide roaming creature and has been called many different names due to diversity in location, culture, and language. Humans like to put titles on pretty much everything, but the Cougar is still their own essence and nature no matter what terrain they might be in. This is not to take away from the importance of name and the culture and meaning it may hold for you - for we all have a history without own names. This is to enhance and recognize: You are You, not because of your name, the labels or boxes this world has created, or even your family dynamics, but because You just are! The Cougar roams freely, not caring for the names we have put on them, for their purpose and Wild is far beyond words.

"...to know a person's true name means to know the life path and the soul attributes of that person" (Estes pg. 118).

- Women Who Run With the Wolves

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