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.

This is a leading or links page on the Puma cat. The links lead to other pages that expand on ...
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This page discusses puma hunting feeding and social organisation. Cats generally are opportunistic predators. This means a wide range of ...
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Here is a pretty full discussion on mountain lion tracks. It is from the standpoint of a person who loves ...
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by Ryan Rachman (North Carolina) I live in the state of North Carolina approximately 430 meters from the Peedee river ...
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People are interested in and frightened of a mountain lion attack. The mountain lion is a puma or a cougar ...
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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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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.
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