The world’s southernmost cougars in Patagonia and the southern Andes

Abstract

Pumas of the far south are treated separately from those elsewhere in South America because conditions in the south differ markedly from those across most of the rest of the continent. In some ways, the story of these pumas more closely resembles that of pumas in North America. In Patagonia and the southern Andes, pumas suffered drastic declines during the twentieth century, and then launched a population rebound when the rural human population decreased in the region. They have shown the classic adaptability of their species , changing their diet as prey conditions shifted and, later, dispersing to reoccupy lands where they were once persecuted. Research on these pumas began in the late 1980s, but even now studies are few. In this chapter, we present what is known about their recent history, research, ecology, conservation, and management needs.