Puma at Herberstein Wildlife Park

The Elegant Master Jumper

The puma is a true all-rounder and is therefore less endangered than many other felines. Although it prefers mountain forests (which is why it’s also called the “mountain lion”), it can be found in a wide range of habitats, from semi-deserts to rainforests.

He eats everything that catches his sharp eye, from mice to elk (though he turns his nose up at reptiles and carrion). At Tierwelt Herberstein, you can marvel at the record-holding leaper’s typical hunting strategy in person when his prey is presented dangling from a fishing line three meters above the ground. He leaps precisely toward the prey and then, through skillful use of his long tail, lands safely back on the ground with all four paws.

This precise jumping is made possible by the extensive overlap of the visual fields of both eyes, since they are directed forward. Only in this way is three-dimensional vision—and thus an accurate estimation of distances—possible. In animals that are prone to fleeing, the eyes are located on the sides of the head, which gives them an almost panoramic view.

Did you know?

The puma is the largest of the small cats. What characterizes this group is not their size, but the fact that, because their hyoid bone is completely ossified, they can purr but cannot roar.