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.

Puma cat – all aspects with links to more

This is a leading or links page on the Puma cat. The links lead to other pages that expand on ...
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Puma hunting, feeding and social organisation – comprehensive coverage

This page discusses puma hunting feeding and social organisation. Cats generally are opportunistic predators. This means a wide range of ...
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Mountain lion tracks – detailed discussion and video

Here is a pretty full discussion on mountain lion tracks. It is from the standpoint of a person who loves ...
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Regular cougar sighting in North Carolina

by Ryan Rachman (North Carolina) I live in the state of North Carolina approximately 430 meters from the Peedee river ...
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Mountain lion attack – on people and prey animals

People are interested in and frightened of a mountain lion attack. The mountain lion is a puma or a cougar ...
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Conservation of the puma a.k.a. mountain lion – full discussion 2022

Introduction: This page has been refreshed, added-to and republished on February 1, 2022. It needed to be because assessments on ...
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40-pound midget, subadult female mountain lion killed by a porcupine

This is the sad story of a mountain lion that conservationists had labelled F99. She was a midget mountain lion ...
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Source: Cat World by Dr Desmond Morris.