Details: The upper parts of the body, including the tail and head, are tawny, grayish or reddish. The belly and rump are white and often overlain with buff. The chin, throat and whiskers are white. The backs of the ears are black and there is a black patch at the base of the whiskers and the tip of the tail. Kittens have blackish spots on a buff-colored body and the tail has dark rings; these markings disappear entirely within a few months. It can be important to be able to tell a male from a female when hunting and this can be difficult unless the animal is treed. The female has darker hair around the vulva and the male has a penile sheath but these can be obscured unless the cat is above you.

Cougars prey mainly on deer, but also on elk, moose and mountain sheep. Beavers, mice, squirrels, porcupines, snowshoe hares and birds also form part of their diet. They are not capable of long chases so will either stalk an animal or lie in ambush, often in a tree or on a rocky outcropping. Cougars can kill prey up to four times their size by jumping on the prey's back, severing the spine with strong teeth and ripping open the throat with its claws.

Cougars generally have naked footpads, which can show up clearly in the footprint. Other than the toes, the feet are well-haired to aid in the silent stalking of prey. The tail, which is roughly the diameter of a person's arm, is held out and used for balance when in motion and is often held down when at rest.

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