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.

Is this cat climbing a fence in Georgetown, Washington D.C. a mountain lion or a domestic tabby?

NBC Washington have questioned whether the cat videoed by a Ring door bell security camera is a mountain lion or ...
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Catastrophe: Florida panther species stricken with ataxia. Deliberate poisoning?

If they can't walk, they can't run. If they can't run they can't hunt. If they can't hunt they can't ...
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Do mountain lions carry prey up trees?

Mountain lions do not carry prey up trees, in answer to the question. After killing prey mountain lions may begin ...
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Need for housing developments in southern California squeezes mountain lion habitat

There is a report in the LA Times that the mountain lions of Southern California are approaching what they describe ...
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Burned habitat forces mountain lions in Santa Barbara to feed on feral cats

Two natural disasters have encouraged the mountain lion to come down off the hills and into the urban areas of ...
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Why is the eastern puma extinct?

The eastern puma is extinct because they were extirpated from the eastern United States by the late 1890s. In other ...
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When do mountain lions leave their mother?

Mountain lions are not normally independent until they are at least a year old. In a study of 1992, Characteristics ...
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Mother wrestles mountain lion in garden to save seven-year-old son

A mother bravely fought a mountain lion with her bare hands after it attacked her seven-year-old son. The mother, Chelsea ...
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This mountain lion was NOT stuck up a tree

News media on the Internet is full of this story. It's about a mountain lion which they say was stuck ...
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Is this the first time that a mountain lion has been killed with bare hands?

There is an extraordinary story in the online newspapers this morning about a trail runner killing a mountain lion with ...
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Source: Cat World by Dr Desmond Morris.