cougar v. puma v. mountain lion v. panther v. catamount

A mountain lion (or cougar, or puma, or panther, or catamount) leaping. Cougar, puma, and mountain lion are all names for the same species of large, tawny cat (Puma concolor) found throughout North and South America.

The terms panther and catamount are somewhat ambiguous. A panther can be any of several big cats, especially if they are black. In the Americas, panther can refer to either a cougar or a jaguar (Panthera onca). In Africa and Asia, a panther is a leopard (Panthera pardus). A catamount is either a cougar or a lynx.