Leopard vs. Cougar

[Felis Rex]

Thanks this is my favorite animal vs animal.
I favor the cougar for the most part, at least at the high end weights. An interesting subdivision of this would be Florida Panther vs a Zanzibar Leopard.
THe fact that this topic is fairly hot pleases me because you often hear that Felines cant compete on a patherine level, yet here we are.

[Venomous Dragon]

The cougar is the most impressive of all the felines but I dont think they can match the build patherines can achieve.

[LeopJag]

Oct 13, 2011 21:03:05 GMT -5 Deinobrontornis said:

And according to this well known paper, the cougar also has a more powerful bite force, despite having a smaller skull. [1]

Source: [1] intern.forskning.no/dokumenter/wroe.pdf

A study posted on carnivora showed the leopard's bite force is stronger (and no surprise if that's correct) - when i find it i'll post it. interesting to note is that male leopard skulls get a good deal larger than those of male cougars - even tom pumas that were like 30lbs heavier...yet leopardess skulls are around the same size female cougars',, and if i recall the largest recorded female puma skull was slightly larger than the largest know leopardess skull.

in some areas of the leopard's rage where they get particularly big (equatorial forests of Africa, Iran/surrounding regions and parts of India where tigers and Asiatic lions are absent), their average weights were shown to overlap those of cougars from high latitudes where they get the largest.. the stats for the leopard mean weight of 129 lbs, are probably based on the East African Serengeti populations - where they tend not to get all that impressive.. these are after all the most studied subspecies.

Both males i favor the leopard 65-70%, and give the cougar a slight edge if both are females.

[Venomous Dragon]

study by wroe
Leopard
Bite Force Canines: 621.1 Newtons
Bite Force Carnissials: 964.4 Newtons
BFQ Canines: 119.8
BFQ Carnissials: 123.4

Cougar
Bite Force Canines: 497.1 Newtons
Bite Force Carnissials: 773.2 Newtons
BFQ Canines: 118.8
BFQ Carnissials: 122.0

[apexpredator7]

I think the leopard will win in its native habitat because of camoflauge agility and power

[Tyrannosaurus]

Pumas just seem more robust to me.

[Taurus]

Oct 14, 2011 16:33:21 GMT -5 Super Communist said:

I assumed you were talking about the North American cougars who only interact with wolves and bears occasionally compared to the African leopard who has to deal with pride of lions, clans of hyenas, and packs of wild dogs on a daily basis.

Oh by the way cougars rarely get in conflict with crocodillian species so I would not consider them competitors.

?
Cougars regularly encountered crocdillians especially in South America and Florida.

Cougars also dealt with grizzlies, crocodillians, jaguars, black bears, coyotes and wolves and that is NOT occasionally.

[Super Communist]

So cougars regularly get in scraps with packs of wolves, eight hundred pound bears, and aquatic crocodilians?

[Venomous Dragon]

Feb 26, 2012 21:05:19 GMT -5 Tyrannosaurus said:

Pumas just seem more robust to me.

Really? because the most impressive tom leopards I have seen look a good deal more impressive than the cougar toms ive seen.

[Taurus]

Feb 26, 2012 23:47:03 GMT -5 Super Communist said:

So cougars regularly get in scraps with packs of wolves, eight hundred pound bears, and aquatic crocodilians?

Believe it or not, it is regularly as you are fully awared that not too many places hold three apex predators these days beside Yellowstone Park which they have done studies on the intercations of the predators. Cougars often lost their kills to wolves and bears in Yellowstone Park as the studies has revealed. I would get these studies in Carnivora. Then again, I dont see how this helps in the match? Leopards got treed by a single dhole, brown hyenas and even subadult cheetahs.

[DinosaurMichael]

Leopard wins as it is a bit bigger and is more robust.

[Felis Rex]

cougars are actually bigger at the high end.

[Venomous Dragon]

Feb 27, 2012 12:21:42 GMT -5 Taurus said:

Feb 26, 2012 23:47:03 GMT -5 Super Communist said:

So cougars regularly get in scraps with packs of wolves, eight hundred pound bears, and aquatic crocodilians?

Believe it or not, it is regularly as you are fully awared that not too many places hold three apex predators these days beside Yellowstone Park which they have done studies on the intercations of the predators. Cougars often lost their kills to wolves and bears in Yellowstone Park as the studies has revealed. I would get these studies in Carnivora. Then again, I dont see how this helps in the match? Leopards got treed by a single dhole, brown hyenas and even subadult cheetahs.

and another leopard stalemated a female tiger, both of them loosing there lives.

[Taurus]

Feb 27, 2012 21:38:10 GMT -5 Venomous Dragon said:

Feb 27, 2012 12:21:42 GMT -5 Taurus said:

Believe it or not, it is regularly as you are fully awared that not too many places hold three apex predators these days beside Yellowstone Park which they have done studies on the intercations of the predators. Cougars often lost their kills to wolves and bears in Yellowstone Park as the studies has revealed. I would get these studies in Carnivora. Then again, I dont see how this helps in the match? Leopards got treed by a single dhole, brown hyenas and even subadult cheetahs.

and another leopard stalemated a female tiger, both of them loosing there lives.

And a female tiger with cubs ate a tom leopard......like I said I don't see how the cats intercating with other predators helps in this match. Wolves often killed cougars just like lion prides or even a single lion often killed leopards.

Interspecies conflicts are pointless when you have two similar-sized big cats that have plenty of intraspecific conflicts especially the toms of both species.

[jumbo1]

50/50. It depends on the size, gender, status, and determination of the individuals involved.

At max sizes, I'd slightly favor the cougar. I remember reading the largest cougar weighed 275LBS with intestines removed. Alive, it could have topped 300LBS. GIGANTIC.