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Can any Californian say something about the relative frequency of the various names for this species? I'd never heard the term "mountain lion" until recently (
by bloak 7y ago
Can any Californian say something about the relative frequency of the various names for this species?
I'd never heard the term "mountain lion" until recently (I think I first encountered it in a story by Annie Proulx) though I've known the word "puma" since the 1970s. Apparently they're also known as "cougar" or "catamount". I probably came across the term "cougar" some time this century, and the term "catamount" a few minutes ago.
- jvanderbot 7y agoEveryone I know around here calls them mountain lions. I've heard cougar occasionally, but that word conflicts with other relevant topics in Los Angeles ...
- idlewords 7y agoI blame Apple's naming scheme for OS X for the sudden diversity of big cat names.
- amelius 7y agoIs Apple donating to support the (real) mountain lion?
- uniformlyrandom 7y agoIn bay area, we call them mountain lions. Because this is what park warning signs call them.
- kolbe 7y agoSierra Nevadas pretty much exclusively use mountain lion.
- hoorayimhelping 7y agoI live in LA and grew up in Florida. Mountain lion is almost exclusively said out here. Back in Florida, it seemed like a mix between cougar and mountain lion, with some people saying puma. I think I've only heard an Appalachian Mountain hipster use the term catamount in conversation. I think there's a college sports team whose nickname is the catamounts.
- js2 7y agoNot to be confused with the big Florida cat which is the panther.