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Description
I had the idea to begin a new 'art mission': felidae. I want to draw every wild cat in this kind of style; with a more or less detailed background and in a kind of painting style, with some mystic atmosphere. But of course when you want to make a masterpiece of it; it is doomed to fail. I usually draw on a very dark screen and when I put it on full again, the highlights turned out to be a bit too strong. But I was done with this drawing and accepted that this is not a masterpiece. But it's nice enough

Puma concolor
*Description*
The puma is a large cat with the cranial proportions of a small cat. Males in Canada and Chili weigh between 65-85 kg, while males in Peru weigh only 28-30 kg. Males weigh often 40-60% more than females. Pumas have exceptionally long hind legs compared to other felids; which is suggested as an adaptation for jumping or very fast accelerations in order. They are lightly build butt have the strength of a leopard. Pumas are plain-coloured in varying shades of brownish grey to cinnamon red.
*Phylogeny*
The puma is anatomically closer to small cats than to the big, pantherine cats and is therefore (still) often placed in the Felis genus, but there are still uncertainties about their phylogeny. They are thought to be closer to cheetahs (and the north American cheetah Miracinonyx and maybe jaguarundis.
*Distribution and habitat *
The puma population stretches from Canada to the southern part of South America; in mountainous areas (up to 5800 m in southern Peru), boreal areas, temperate grasslands, tropical rainforests, savannahs, and even deserts. They live in most parts of South-America and along the west-side of North-America. There is a small population of pumas in Florida.
*Ecology and behaviour*
Pumas need cover for stalking, in the form of rocks, trees or bushes. In some areas, they prefer steep terrain and rugged slopes, especially females with kittens seek higher elevations and rough terrain. Pumas hunt at any time of the day, but become nocturnal close to humans. They usually walk a few kilometres a day.
*Social organization*
They live alone; but their sociality varies greatly due to wide range and variable habitat. Also the home-range size is very variable. Pumas keep in contact with conspecifics with indirect communication (auditory, olfactory). Ranges of the same sex hardly overlap, while ranges of males overlap with home ranges of females. Young adults and non-reproductive individuals wander and cross others territories. Young females often settle near their mothers.

*Reproduction*
Pumas reproduce throughout the year, but on higher latitudes females tend to restrict reproduction to more favourable times and express weak birth peaks. They get one to six kittens. The mother stays at the den during the first few weeks and goes in and out to hunt in order to produce enough milk. Later on she takes the kittens out on the move.

*Diet*
The diet is very varying and they eat everything from mice to moose, depending on latitude. In the North, pumas hunt prey larger than itself. In tropical areas prey are smaller and less than half the weight of the puma.

*Status in the wild*
Least concern, but the overall population is decreasing. The Florida panther ( a subspecies) is critically endangered. In most states where pumas are still present they are hunted, but this is often restricted to pumas that kill livestock and hunting is regulated. Some reintroduction efforts have been done in states were pumas are absent.

All information comes from
- M.Sunquist & F.Sunquist , Wild cats of the world. University of Chicago Press.
- IUCN red list.
- A.Turner & M. Antón. Big cats and their fossil relatives. Colombia University Press, New York.

art by me. Please don't copy/use it without my permission!

Description
I had the idea to begin a new 'art mission': felidae. I want to draw every wild cat in this kind of style; with a more or less detailed background and in a kind of painting style, with some mystic atmosphere. But of course when you want to make a masterpiece of it; it is doomed to fail. I usually draw on a very dark screen and when I put it on full again, the highlights turned out to be a bit too strong. But I was done with this drawing and accepted that this is not a masterpiece. But it's nice enough

Puma concolor
*Description*
The puma is a large cat with the cranial proportions of a small cat. Males in Canada and Chili weigh between 65-85 kg, while males in Peru weigh only 28-30 kg. Males weigh often 40-60% more than females. Pumas have exceptionally long hind legs compared to other felids; which is suggested as an adaptation for jumping or very fast accelerations in order. They are lightly build butt have the strength of a leopard. Pumas are plain-coloured in varying shades of brownish grey to cinnamon red.
*Phylogeny*
The puma is anatomically closer to small cats than to the big, pantherine cats and is therefore (still) often placed in the Felis genus, but there are still uncertainties about their phylogeny. They are thought to be closer to cheetahs (and the north American cheetah Miracinonyx and maybe jaguarundis.
*Distribution and habitat *
The puma population stretches from Canada to the southern part of South America; in mountainous areas (up to 5800 m in southern Peru), boreal areas, temperate grasslands, tropical rainforests, savannahs, and even deserts. They live in most parts of South-America and along the west-side of North-America. There is a small population of pumas in Florida.
*Ecology and behaviour*
Pumas need cover for stalking, in the form of rocks, trees or bushes. In some areas, they prefer steep terrain and rugged slopes, especially females with kittens seek higher elevations and rough terrain. Pumas hunt at any time of the day, but become nocturnal close to humans. They usually walk a few kilometres a day.
*Social organization*
They live alone; but their sociality varies greatly due to wide range and variable habitat. Also the home-range size is very variable. Pumas keep in contact with conspecifics with indirect communication (auditory, olfactory). Ranges of the same sex hardly overlap, while ranges of males overlap with home ranges of females. Young adults and non-reproductive individuals wander and cross others territories. Young females often settle near their mothers.

*Reproduction*
Pumas reproduce throughout the year, but on higher latitudes females tend to restrict reproduction to more favourable times and express weak birth peaks. They get one to six kittens. The mother stays at the den during the first few weeks and goes in and out to hunt in order to produce enough milk. Later on she takes the kittens out on the move.

*Diet*
The diet is very varying and they eat everything from mice to moose, depending on latitude. In the North, pumas hunt prey larger than itself. In tropical areas prey are smaller and less than half the weight of the puma.

*Status in the wild*
Least concern, but the overall population is decreasing. The Florida panther ( a subspecies) is critically endangered. In most states where pumas are still present they are hunted, but this is often restricted to pumas that kill livestock and hunting is regulated. Some reintroduction efforts have been done in states were pumas are absent.

All information comes from
- M.Sunquist & F.Sunquist , Wild cats of the world. University of Chicago Press.
- IUCN red list.
- A.Turner & M. Antón. Big cats and their fossil relatives. Colombia University Press, New York.

art by me. Please don't copy/use it without my permission!