The most widespread native cat in the terrestrial ecosystem of Iberá, where it shares the top of the food chain with the reintroduced jaguar. Its body is sleek, athletic and muscular, covered with a uniform tawny or grayish coat that is unspotted in adults. Its head is rounded with erect ears, and its long tail ends in a characteristic black tip. It can make vertical leaps of more than 5 meters and run at great speed. Total length: 180 to 240 cm including the tail. Weight: 40 to 70 kg.
Behaviour
Solitary, territorial and crepuscular and nocturnal in habit, though in quiet areas of the park it is seen active by day. Hunts by stalking, blending into the dry grassland to get close before an explosive attack. Its diet includes marsh deer, adult capybaras, brockets, vizcachas, hairy armadillos and rheas. It plays a vital regulating role by controlling herbivore populations.
How and when to see it
Year round. Encounters are by chance: crossing vehicle tracks at dawn or dusk, or silhouetted on a rise. Driving the internal tracks with close visual attention is the best strategy. Portals Cambyretá and San Nicolás have the most frequent records.
Where to see it in the Iberá
The gateways of the Great Iberá Park where puma has confirmed presence:
Tours to see it
Verified providers operating at the gateways where puma lives. You contact them directly on WhatsApp from the app.
- Esteros Ñe’é
Experiencias con relato local y mirada cultural sobre los esteros.★ 5 - Salvaje Iberá
Senderismo, cicloturismo, safari fotográfico, avistaje de fauna, paseos largos en el día…★ 5 - Gaucho Argentino
Travesías a caballo por una red de refugios en el Iberá. Cabalgatas de varios días con…★ 5 - Reserva Natural Don Luis
Reserva natural privada en Portal Cambyretá, gestionada por la Fundación Cambyretá…★ 5
Species profile
- Common namePuma
- Scientific namePuma concolor
- GroupMammal
- StatusNative
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