Tawny Puma lying on grassy ground

Puma power

What we call the species Puma concolor depends on where we live. In North America, these cats are usually called cougars or mountain lions. Here in South America's Torres del Paine National Park, they're pumas. This national park stretches across 935 square miles in the southern Patagonia region of Chile and provides a great habitat for pumas, which hunt guanacos and the other deer-like ruminants that munch on the grassy plains of the park. Scientists frequent Torres del Paine to study the pumas, as the large population presents a good opportunity for easy observation.