What is the physical appearance of a Puma?
A lithe, slender animal, the puma has strong and very muscular limbs. The neck is comparatively long and the body rather elongate. They have relatively small heads with short faces. The dark ears are rounded, and not tufted. Characteristically the puma’s hind legs are longer than the front. This difference, which elevates the rump, is the greatest in the cats, and is believed to be an adaptation for jumping. A long heavy cylindrical tail is used as a counterbalance. The belly of a puma is whitish, and the upper lips, chin and throat are almost pure white. The sides of the muzzle are black as is the tip of the tail. Pale median patches mark the back of the ears in most but not all pumas. In tropical regions, the pumas’ pelage is short and bristly, in the higher latitudes it is longer and softer. Even in the same locality, coloration varies considerably. There seem to be two colour phases, a red and a grey phase. Red phased individuals are buff, cinnamon and tawny. They appear to predomi
