Why are mountain lions called painters?
There is a simple reason why mountain lions are called painters. ‘Painter’ is a local American name for the puma (Felis concolor). Many early white settlers to America referred to the puma as the American panther. The word ‘panther‘ was corrupted to ‘painter’. In many rural districts of the mid-western and eastern US this became the usual pronunciation.

The name ‘painter’ for the puma was made famous in 1913 when James Whitcomb Riley wrote: ‘Yes – and painters, prowlin’ ’bout,/ Allus darkest nights. Lay out/ Clost yer cattle. – Great, big red/ Eyes a blazing’ in their head…’
The mountain lion has the most names of all the wild cat species.

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The word "catamount" is an abbreviation of "cat of the mountain" or "cat o' mountain" or even "cat a mountain" ...
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Townsend, Montana, USA: This short video neatly sums up a lot about the relationship between America's mountain lion (puma, cougar) ...
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In 2020, there is no evidence that pumas can be white but this may change in the future ...
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Source: Cat World by Dr Desmond Morris.
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