Family FELIDAE 121 



FELIS CONCOLOR Linnaeus 

 Cougar Mountain Lion Panther 



Description. — The cougar is a large, long-tailed cat measur- 

 ing nearly 80 inches from the nose to the tip of the tail. The 

 body is light brown or tawny ; the backs of the ears and the tip 

 of the tail are dark brown. 



The large skull is about 8 inches long, and the cheek teeth 

 are bladelike. Dental formula: I 3/3, C 1/1, Pm 3/2, M 1/1. 



Distribution. — Accounts of early settlers and contemporary 

 travelers indicate that in the first half of the 1800's cougars or 

 panthers were found in the forested parts of Illinois. After the 

 middle of the century, the cougar (rarely called mountain lion 

 in Illinois) disappeared very rapidly. The form present was 

 Felis concolor couguar Kerr. The range of the species now in- 

 cludes part of northern British Columbia and an extensive area 

 southward through the United States (principally west of the 

 Rocky Mountains) and into South America, along the Gulf 

 Coast from Mexico to western Florida, and peninsular Florida. 



LYNX RUFUS (Schreber) 

 Bobcat 



Description. — The bobcat, fig. 72, is a short-tailed cat stand- 

 ing 20 to 23 inches high at the shoulder. Its body is mostly 

 yellowish gray, with a sprinkling of black; the under parts and 

 inner surfaces of the legs are whitish, spotted with black; streaks 

 on the long fur covering the cheeks are dark gray; and the 

 upper part of the tip of the tail is black. Each pointed ear bears 

 a small tuft or pencil of hairs. 



Length measurements: head and body about 27 inches (625- 

 755 mm.), tail about S\/\ inches (135 mm.), over-all about ii 

 inches (760-880 mm.), hind foot about 7 inches (170-188 mm.). 

 Weight: 15-25 pounds, usually about 20 pounds. 



The skull is 105-135 mm. (about 5 inches) long. Except for 

 having three rather than four cheek teeth (premolars and molar) 

 in each half of the upper jaw, it is not unlike that of the house 

 cat. Dental formula: I ?> i, C 11, Pm 2/2, M 1/1. 



Life History. — The bobcat frequents wooded sections along 

 rivers, especially timbered bluffs and slopes that are interspersed 

 with sunny glades and swampy bottomlands. Broken country 



