What Does A Cougar Paw Print Look Like And How Do You Identify It?

A cougar paw print has some fascinating and distinguishing features, which we have discussed in this article.

If you also want to know about a cougar and how to identify its track, you must know its claws' characteristics. Claw marks in coyote and dog tracks are large and blunt compared to cougar tracks, where the claws are sharp and thin.

A cougar is the largest among the big wild cat family in North America. A cougar is also known by several names, including puma, mountain lion, panthers, and catamounts. These big cats live in dense forests and rocky deserts.

Mountain lions are usually found in North and South America. An interesting fact about these cats; there is a city in Peru is designed in the shape of a cougar.

Isn't it amazing? Do you want to know several more interesting things about the size and shape of cougar's paws? Read on to learn about the characteristics of cougar tracks, also read about lion paws and fox paw print.

How can you identify a cougar?

Cougars belong to the big cat family and share similar characteristics with other members of the family. They live in or near the forests where other big cats live.

Have you ever wondered if you confront a cougar, how will you identify it? Well, cougars can be identified by their appearance. Cougars have a uniformly colored coat of reddish-brown or greyish brown color.

A cougar has a long tail of about half the size of its body. The tail of a cougar has a black tip at the end.

A cougar's tail works as a counterbalance for the cougar's movement and helps it catch the prey and travel across the various landscapes. Cougars look almost the same as a bobcat or domestic cats, just bigger in size. These big cats have slender-shaped bodies and round heads with triangular pointed ears.

What does a cougar paw print look like?

A cougar's paw print has four toes on both the forelegs and hind legs arranged in a semi-circle. The soft heel pad of this animal is in the shape of the English alphabet 'M.' The heel pad of a mountain lion has three lobes at the bottom and two at the top.

The claws are not visible in the paw print of cougars in average terrain. The claws are visible when the terrain is slippery because cougars need more traction to hold their heel pad onto the ground, leaving their tracks behind.

You can also see the marks of the dragged tail in the cougar tracks in the snow. Usually, a cougar's tail with a black tip is turned in a U shape, preventing it from touching the ground.

But it can be visible in the snow, and you can see the black-tipped-tail line between the paw prints of the cougar tracks.

How big is a cougar paw print?

The overall paw print of an adult male cougar's hind legs is about 4-5 in (10.0-12.5 cm) in length. An adult female cougar has a paw print of less than 3.5 in (8.9 cm).

The heel pad of an adult male cougar with an 'M' shape is more than 2 in (5 cm) in size, while that of a female is less than 2 in (5 cm).

The stride length of an adult male cougar in the snow is usually more than 40 in (101.6 cm), while that of an adult female is less than 40 in (101.6 cm). The stride length is the distance between two steps of the same foot or paw.

From this, you can also assume that the female cougars are smaller than the male ones.

Big Dog Vs. Cougar Paw Print

A cougar's paw print and a dog's paw print sometimes look similar to our eyes because of the four toes and almost the same size. But if you look closer, you can differentiate between the paw prints of a cougar and a big dog.

The paw print of a cougar has an 'M' shaped heel, while the paw print of a dog has an "A" shaped heel. The lobes of a cougar are clearly identified and count as two, but that of a dog can not be easily identified.

The size of a mountain lion paw print is almost as long as it is wide. In contrast, the paw print of a big dog is longer than it is wide.

Also, a dog's paw print includes the claw marks, while in that of a cougar, the claw marks are hardly visible. The toe print of a dog is oval-shaped, while that of a cougar is in the shape of a teardrop.

So if you see a paw print or tracks in the forest, then do not panic in the first instance. Try to find out whether it is a cougar's paw prints or a dog's.

Mountain Lion Tracks

Mountain lion is another name for the cougar. This animal generally lives in the mountains of North and South America. The track of the mountain lions or their paw prints is round in shape, with four toes and a heel pad.

They are asymmetrical in shape. The gait of a mountain lion is an overlap walk. An overlap walk means that the hindfoot lands ahead of the front foot in the paw prints.

There is also an amazing feature of the cougar or the mountain lion's track. They usually directly register when walking in the snowy areas. This means that the hindfoot lands exactly where the front foot left its mark so that they do not have to make more effort while walking.

What should you do if you see a cougar paw print?

If you are traveling or hiking near or in the site of a cougar's habitat and have found a cougar paw print, you should be very careful of these big cats. Although they attack very rarely on humans, it is still dangerous to encounter a cougar.

To avoid encountering a cougar in the wild, make loud noises while traveling. Cougars are great stalkers, they can move very quietly, and you won't even realize that a cougar is behind you.

If you encounter a mountain lion, then do not panic and do not run. If you run, then the cougar will consider you as its prey.

Just keep moving slowly in your direction and do not look back at the animal. If you look back, it may catch you. If the cougar is feeding or has its kittens with it, it is good for you not to disturb it.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for cougar paw print, then why not take a look at dog paw anatomy or Cougar Facts.