Editing Cougar (section)

==Relationships with humans==
===Attacks on humans===
====In North America====
{{See also|List of fatal cougar attacks in North America}}
[[File:MountainLionAttackProtocol.jpg|thumb|right|Mountain lion warning sign in California, U.S.]]

Due to the [[Population growth|expanding human population]], cougar [[Range (biology)|range]]s increasingly overlap with areas inhabited by humans.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 20, 2023 |title=Mountain lion caught on camera in Tesoro Viejo in Madera County |url=https://abc30.com/tesoro-viejo-madera-county-mountain-lion-camera-spotting/14085089/ |access-date=November 21, 2023 |website=ABC30 Fresno |language=en |archive-date=November 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121004735/https://abc30.com/tesoro-viejo-madera-county-mountain-lion-camera-spotting/14085089/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Attacks on humans are very rare, as cougar prey recognition is a learned behavior and they do not generally recognize humans as prey.<ref name="Med">{{cite journal |last=McKee |first=Denise |year=2003 |title=Cougar Attacks on Humans: A Case Report |journal=Wilderness and Environmental Medicine |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=169–73 |pmid=14518628 |doi=10.1580/1080-6032(2003)14[169:CAOHAC]2.0.CO;2|doi-access=free}}</ref> In a 10-year study in New Mexico of wild cougars who were not habituated to humans, the animals did not exhibit threatening behavior to researchers who approached closely (median distance=18.5 m; 61 feet) except in 6% of cases; {{frac|14|16}} of those were females with cubs.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Puma responses to close approaches by researchers |first1=Linda L. |last1=Sweanor |first2=Kenneth A. |last2=Logan |first3=Maurice G. |last3=Hornocker |journal=Wildlife Society Bulletin |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=905–913 |year=2005 |doi=10.2193/0091-7648(2005)33[905:PRTCAB]2.0.CO;2 |s2cid=86209378 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Attacks on people, livestock, and pets may occur when a puma [[Habituation|habituates]] to humans or is in a condition of severe starvation. Attacks are most frequent during late spring and summer when juvenile cougars leave their mothers and search for new territory.<ref name="GovBC" />

Between 1890 and 1990 in North America, there were 53 reported, confirmed attacks on humans, resulting in 48 nonfatal injuries and 10 deaths of humans (the total is greater than 53 because some attacks had more than one victim).<ref name="Beier">{{cite web |first=Paul |last=Beier |url=http://users.frii.com/mytymyk/lions/beier.htm |title=Cougar attacks on humans in the United States and Canada |work=Wildlife Society Bulletin |year=1991 |access-date=May 20, 2007 |publisher=Northern Arizona University |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622033418/http://users.frii.com/mytymyk/lions/beier.htm |archive-date=June 22, 2012}}</ref> By 2004, the count had climbed to 88 attacks and 20 deaths.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/mtn_lion_attacks.shtml |title=Confirmed mountain lion attacks in the United States and Canada 1890 – present |access-date=May 20, 2007 |publisher=Arizona Game and Fish Department |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070518181449/http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/mtn_lion_attacks.shtml |archive-date=May 18, 2007}}</ref>

Within North America, the distribution of attacks is not uniform. The heavily populated state of California saw a dozen attacks from 1986 to 2004 (after just three from 1890 to 1985), including three fatalities.<ref name="California">{{cite web |url=http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/issues/lion.html |title=Mountain Lions in California |access-date=May 20, 2007 |year=2004 |publisher=California Department of Fish and Game| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070430012010/http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/issues/lion.html| archive-date = April 30, 2007}}</ref> In March 2024, two brothers in California were attacked by a male cougar, with one being fatally wounded; it was the state's first fatal attack in 20 years.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Razek |first1=Raja |last2=Flynn |first2=Jessica |date=March 25, 2024 |title=First fatal mountain lion attack in California in 20 years leaves one man dead, brother injured, authorities say |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/first-fatal-mountain-lion-attack-in-california-in-20-years-leaves-one-man-dead-brother-injured-authorities-say-1.6821205 |access-date=March 25, 2024 |work=CTV News |archive-date=March 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240325170316/https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/first-fatal-mountain-lion-attack-in-california-in-20-years-leaves-one-man-dead-brother-injured-authorities-say-1.6821205 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Dowd |first1=Katie |last2=Bartlett |first2=Amanda |title=Mountain lion kills man in Northern California for first time in 30 years |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/mountain-lion-kills-man-northern-california-19365657.php |access-date=March 28, 2024 |work=SFGATE |language=en |archive-date=March 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328003539/https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/mountain-lion-kills-man-northern-california-19365657.php |url-status=live}}</ref> Washington state was the site of a fatal attack in 2018, its first since 1924.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fisher |first1=Michelle |title=Victim in Deadly Washington State Cougar Attack Had Boston Ties |url=http://boston.cbslocal.com/2018/05/21/cougar-attack-victim-sj-brooks-washington-seattle-boston/|access-date=May 23, 2018 |publisher=CBS BOston |date=May 21, 2018|archive-date=May 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180523173303/http://boston.cbslocal.com/2018/05/21/cougar-attack-victim-sj-brooks-washington-seattle-boston/|url-status=live}}</ref> Lightly populated New Mexico reported an attack in 2008, the first there since 1974.<ref>[[New Mexico Department of Game and Fish]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20120620114802/http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/publications/press_releases/documents/2008/062308pinosaltoslion.html Search continues for mountain lion that killed Pinos Altos man], June 23, 2008; [https://web.archive.org/web/20120620114802/http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/publications/press_releases/documents/2008/062508pinosaltoslion.html Wounded mountain lion captured, killed near Pinos Altos], June 25, 2008; [https://web.archive.org/web/20120620114802/http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/publications/press_releases/documents/2008/070108pinosaltoslion2.html Second mountain lion captured near Pinos Altos], July 1, 2008</ref>

As with many predators, a cougar may attack if cornered, if a fleeing human stimulates their instinct to chase, or if a person "[[wikt:play dead|plays dead]]". Standing still may cause the cougar to consider a person easy prey.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Subramanian |first=Sushma |title=Should You Run or Freeze When You See a Mountain Lion? |url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=should-you-run-or-freeze-when-you-see-a-mountain-lion |magazine=Scientific American|access-date=March 10, 2012 |date=April 14, 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110319160359/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=should-you-run-or-freeze-when-you-see-a-mountain-lion|archive-date=March 19, 2011}}</ref> Exaggerating the threat to the animal through intense eye contact, loud shouting, and any other action to appear larger and more menacing, may make the animal retreat. Fighting back with sticks and rocks, or even bare hands, is often effective in persuading an attacking cougar to disengage.<ref name="Med" /><ref name="GovBC">{{cite web |url=http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/cougsf.htm |title=Safety Guide to Cougars |work=Environmental Stewardship Division |year=1991 |access-date=May 28, 2007 |publisher=[[Government of British Columbia]], Ministry of Environment |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823061650/http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/cougsf.htm |archive-date=August 23, 2007}}</ref>

When cougars do attack, they usually employ their characteristic neck bite, attempting to position their teeth between the [[vertebrae]] and into the [[spinal cord]]. Neck, head, and spinal injuries are common and sometimes fatal.<ref name="Med" /> Children are at greatest risk of attack and least likely to survive an encounter. Detailed research into attacks before 1991 showed that 64% of all victims – and almost all fatalities – were children. The same study showed the highest proportion of attacks to have occurred in [[British Columbia]], particularly on [[Vancouver Island]], where cougar populations are especially dense.<ref name="Beier" /> Preceding attacks on humans, cougars display aberrant behavior, such as activity during daylight hours, a lack of fear of humans, and stalking humans. There have sometimes been incidents of pet cougars mauling people.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna27756765 |agency=Associated Press |work=NBC News |date=November 16, 2008 |title=Neighbor saves Miami teen from cougar|access-date=February 11, 2012|archive-date=September 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923224535/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/27756765|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=2-Year-Old Boy Hurt In Pet Cougar Attack |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/04/nyregion/2-year-old-boy-hurt-in-pet-cougar-attack.html |date=June 4, 1995 |work=The New York Times|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625060218/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/04/nyregion/2-year-old-boy-hurt-in-pet-cougar-attack.html|archive-date=June 25, 2017}}</ref>

Research on new wildlife collars may reduce human-animal conflicts by predicting when and where predatory animals hunt. This may save the lives of humans, pets, and livestock, as well as the lives of these large predatory mammals that are important to the balance of ecosystems.<ref>Williams, Terrie M. (November 6, 2014) [http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-williams-wildlife-coburn-wastebook-20141107-story.html "As species decline, so does research funding"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109194703/http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-williams-wildlife-coburn-wastebook-20141107-story.html |date=November 9, 2014 }} ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''</ref>

====In South America====
Cougars in the [[southern cone]] of South America are reputed to be extremely reluctant to attack people; in legend, they defended people against jaguars.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chébez |first1=J. C. |last2=Nigro |first2=R. Á. |title=Aportes preliminaares para un plan de conservación y manejo del Puma (''Puma concolor'') en la República Argentina |language=es |url=http://maaz.ihmc.us/rid=1PP8CK25F-1FYP3P-2VPC/chebez-y-nigro-aportes-para-un-plan-de-conservacion-y-m.pdf |access-date=February 23, 2018 |archive-date=February 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226211612/http://maaz.ihmc.us/rid=1PP8CK25F-1FYP3P-2VPC/chebez-y-nigro-aportes-para-un-plan-de-conservacion-y-m.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The nineteenth-century naturalists [[Félix de Azara]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Azara |first=F. d. |title=The Natural History of the Quadrupeds of Paraguay and the River la Plata |pages=207–208 |publisher=Adam and Charles Black |location=[[Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]] |year=1838 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QNc0AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA207 |quote=I have not heard that they have assaulted or attempted to assault man, nor dogs and boys, even when it encounters them asleep |access-date=June 6, 2020 |archive-date=May 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240505151936/https://books.google.com/books?id=QNc0AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA207#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref> and [[William Henry Hudson]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Hudson |first=W. H. |title=The Naturalist in La Plata |pages=31–49 |publisher=Chapman and Hall Ltd |year=1892 |location=London |url=https://archive.org/stream/naturalistinlapl1892huds#page/n43/mode/2up|access-date=February 15, 2018 |quote=This, however, is not a full statement of the facts; the puma will not even defend itself against man}}</ref> thought that attacks on people, even children or sleeping adults, did not happen. Hudson, citing anecdotal evidence from hunters, claimed that pumas were positively inhibited from attacking people, even in self-defense. Attacks on humans, although exceedingly rare, have occurred.<ref>{{cite book |last=Roosevelt |first=Theodore |title=Through the Brazilian Wilderness |pages=27–8 |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |year=1914 |location=New York |url=https://archive.org/stream/cu31924086561119#page/n53/mode/2up|access-date=February 15, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Young |first1=S. P. |last2=Goldman |first2=E. A. |title=The Puma: Mysterious American Cat |year=1964 |publisher=Dover Publications Inc |url=https://archive.org/details/pumamysteriousam00youn/page/99 |location=New York |pages=99, 103–105 |url-access=registration}}</ref>

An early, authenticated, non-fatal case occurred near [[Lake Viedma]], Patagonia, in 1877 when a female mauled the Argentine scientist [[Francisco P. Moreno]]; Moreno afterward showed the scars to [[Theodore Roosevelt]]. In this instance, however, Moreno had been wearing a [[guanaco]]-hide [[poncho]] round his neck and head as protection against the cold;<ref>{{cite book |last=Roosevelt |first=Theodore |title=Through the Brazilian Wilderness |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |year=1914 |location=New York |url=https://archive.org/stream/cu31924086561119#page/n53/mode/2up|access-date=February 15, 2018 |pages=26–31}}</ref> in Patagonia the guanaco is the puma's chief prey animal.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Response of pumas (''Puma concolor'') to migration of their primary prey in Patagonia |last1=Gelin |first1=Maria L. |last2=Branch |first2=Lyn C. |last3=Thornton |first3=Daniel H. |last4=Novaro |first4=Andrés J. |last5=Gould |first5=Matthew J. |last6=Caragiulo |first6=Anthony |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=12 |issue=12 |pages=e0188877 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0188877 |pmid=29211753 |pmc=5718558 |year=2017 |bibcode=2017PLoSO..1288877G |doi-access=free}}</ref> Another authenticated case occurred in 1997 in [[Iguazú National Park]] in northeastern Argentina, when the 20-month-old son of a ranger was killed by a female puma. Forensic analysis found specimens of the child's hair and clothing fibers in the animal's stomach. The [[coati|coatí]] is the puma's chief prey in this area. Despite prohibitory signs, coatis are hand-fed by tourists in the park, causing unnatural approximation between cougars and humans. This particular puma had been raised in captivity and released into the wild.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Faletti |first=Dra. Alicia |title=Caso Ignacio Terán Luna |journal=Revista Química Viva |year=2013 |volume=12 |issue=2 |language=es |issn=1666-7948 |url=http://www.quimicaviva.qb.fcen.uba.ar/contratapa/ignacio.htm |access-date=February 16, 2018 |archive-date=February 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220024430/http://www.quimicaviva.qb.fcen.uba.ar/contratapa/ignacio.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> On March 13, 2012, Erica Cruz, a 23-year-old shepherdess was found dead in a mountainous area near [[Rosario de Lerma]], Salta Province, in northwestern Argentina.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Redacción |date=2012 |title=Un puma mató a una pastora en Salta |url=https://www.rionegro.com.ar/un-puma-mato-a-una-pastora-en-salta-OBRN_835496/ |access-date=November 30, 2021 |website=Diario Río Negro |language=es |archive-date=November 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130020602/https://www.rionegro.com.ar/un-puma-mato-a-una-pastora-en-salta-OBRN_835496/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Claw incisions, which severed a jugular vein, indicated that the attacker was a felid; differential diagnosis ruled out other possible perpetrators.{{efn|There are no jaguars in the area; other felids were too small to kill humans.}} There were no bite marks on the victim, who had been herding goats.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Ataque fatal en humano, por puma (''Puma concolor'') |last1=Portelli |first1=C.M. |last2=Eveling |first2=C.R. |last3=Lamas |first3=J. |last4=Mamaní |first4=P.J. |journal=Cuadernos de Medicina Forense |volume=18 |issue=3–4 |year=2012 |pages=139–142 |doi=10.4321/S1135-76062012000300008 |language=es |url=http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S1135-76062012000300008 |access-date=February 26, 2018 |doi-access=free |archive-date=February 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226211656/http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S1135-76062012000300008 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2019 in [[Córdoba Province, Argentina]] an elderly man was badly injured by a cougar after he attempted to defend his dog from it, while in neighboring Chile a 28-year-old woman was attacked and killed in [[Corral, Chile|Corral]], in [[Los Ríos Region]], on October 20, 2020.<ref name="BioBioexp">{{Cite news |title=Expertos tras eventual ataque de un puma en Corral: 'Es inusual, no buscan enfrentar a los humanos' |url=https://www.biobiochile.cl/noticias/sociedad/animales/2020/10/21/expertos-tras-ataque-mortal-de-un-puma-en-corral-hay-que-tener-conciencia-es-un-animal-salvaje.shtml |last=Contreras |first=E. |date=2020|access-date=December 4, 2020 |work=[[Radio Bío-Bío]] |language=es|archive-date=November 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101014350/https://www.biobiochile.cl/noticias/sociedad/animales/2020/10/21/expertos-tras-ataque-mortal-de-un-puma-en-corral-hay-que-tener-conciencia-es-un-animal-salvaje.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>

Fatal attacks by other carnivores, such as feral dogs, can be misattributed to cougars without appropriate forensic knowledge.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fonseca |first1=G. M. |last2=Palacios |first2=R. |title=An Unusual Case of Predation: Dog Pack or Cougar Attack? |journal=Journal of Forensic Sciences |volume=58 |issue=1 |year=2013 |pages=224–227 |doi=10.1111/j.1556-4029.2012.02281.x |pmid=22971181 |hdl=11336/10589 |s2cid=205771079|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

===Predation on domestic animals===
[[File:The Cougar Hunt (1920s silent film).webm|right|thumb|''[[s:The Cougar Hunt|The Cougar Hunt]]'', a 1920s silent film created by the [[United States Department of Agriculture]] which explains the procedures to successfully hunt livestock-threatening cougars]]

During the early years of ranching, cougars were considered on par with wolves in destructiveness. According to figures in [[Texas]] in 1990, 86 calves (0.0006% of Texas's 13.4&nbsp;million cattle and calves), 253 mohair goats, 302 mohair kids, 445 sheep (0.02% of Texas's 2&nbsp;million sheep and lambs) and 562 lambs (0.04% of Texas's 1.2&nbsp;million lambs) were confirmed to have been killed by cougars that year.<ref name="NASS-cattle">{{cite web |url=http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/Catt//1990s/1990/Catt-07-27-1990.pdf |title=Cattle report 1990 |publisher=National Agricultural Statistics Service | access-date=September 11, 2009 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608154849/http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/Catt//1990s/1990/Catt-07-27-1990.pdf | archive-date=June 8, 2011 |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="NASS-sheep-goats">{{cite web |url=http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/SheeGoat//1990s/1990/SheeGoat-02-02-1990.pdf |title=Sheep and Goats report 1990 |publisher=National Agricultural Statistics Service | access-date=September 11, 2009 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608154900/http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/SheeGoat//1990s/1990/SheeGoat-02-02-1990.pdf | archive-date=June 8, 2011 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> In [[Nevada]] in 1992, cougars were confirmed to have killed nine calves, one horse, four foals, five goats, 318 sheep, and 400 lambs. In both reports, sheep were the most frequently attacked. Some instances of [[surplus killing]] have resulted in the deaths of 20 sheep in one attack.<ref name="Livestock">{{cite web |url=http://www.aws.vcn.com/mountain_lion_fact_sheet.html |title=Mountain Lion Fact Sheet |publisher=Abundant Wildlife Society of North America |access-date=July 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720162250/http://www.aws.vcn.com/mountain_lion_fact_sheet.html |archive-date=July 20, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> A cougar's killing bite is applied to the back of the neck, head, or [[Throat clamp|throat]] and the cat inflicts puncture marks with its claws usually seen on the sides and underside of the prey, sometimes also shredding the prey as it holds on. Coyotes also typically bite the throat, but the work of a cougar is generally clean, while bites inflicted by coyotes and dogs leave ragged edges. The size of the tooth puncture marks also helps distinguish kills made by cougars from those made by smaller predators.<ref name="Predation">{{cite web |url=http://agrilife.org/texnatwildlife/predators-and-predation/predator-species/cougars/ |title=Cougar Predation – Description |publisher=Procedures for Evaluating Predation on Livestock and Wildlife |access-date=August 3, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110111165333/http://agrilife.org/texnatwildlife/predators-and-predation/predator-species/cougars/ |archive-date=January 11, 2011}}</ref>

Remedial hunting appears to have the paradoxical effect of increased livestock predation and complaints of human-cougar conflicts. In a 2013 study, the most important predictor of cougar problems was the remedial hunting of cougars the previous year. Each additional cougar on the landscape increased predation and human-cougar complaints by 5%, but each animal killed during the previous year increased complaints by 50%. The effect had a dose-response relationship with very heavy (100% removal of adult cougars) remedial hunting, leading to a 150–340% increase in livestock and human conflicts.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Effects of Remedial Sport Hunting on Cougar Complaints and Livestock Depredations |author1=Peebles, Kaylie A. |author2=Wielgus, Robert B. |author3=Maletzke, Benjamin T. |author4=Swanson, Mark E. |journal=PLOS ONE |date=November 2013 |volume=8 |issue=11 |pages=e79713 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0079713 |pmid=24260291 |pmc=3834330 |bibcode=2013PLoSO...879713P|doi-access=free}}</ref> This effect is attributed to the removal of older cougars that have learned to avoid people and their replacement by younger males that react differently to humans. Remedial hunting enables younger males to enter the former territories of the older animals.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Cougar attacks on humans in the United States and Canada |author=Beier, Paul |journal=Wildlife Society Bulletin |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=403–412 |year=1991 |jstor=3782149}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Mountain lion and human activity in California: testing speculations |author1=Torres SG |author2=Mansfield TM |author3=Foley JE |author4=Lupo T |author5=Brinkhaus A |year=1996 |journal=Wildlife Society Bulletin |volume=24 |issue=3 |pages=451–460 |jstor=3783326}}</ref> Predation by cougars on dogs "is widespread, but occurs at low frequencies".<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Gompper |editor-first=Matthew E. |author1=Butler, James R. A. |author2=Linnell, John D. C. |author3=Morrant, Damian |author4=Athreya, Vidya |author5=Lescureux, Nicolas |author6=McKeown, Adam |chapter=5: Dog eat dog, cat eat dog: social-ecological dimensions of dog predation by wild carnivores |title=Free-ranging dogs and wildlife conservation |date=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=127}}</ref>

===In mythology===
The grace and power of the cougar have been widely admired in the cultures of the [[indigenous peoples of the Americas]]. The [[Inca Empire|Inca]] city of [[Cusco]] is reported to have been designed in the shape of a cougar, and the animal also gave its name to both Inca regions and people. The [[Moche (culture)|Moche]] people often represented the cougar in their ceramics.<ref>Berrin, Katherine & Larco Museum. ''The Spirit of Ancient Peru: Treasures from the [[Larco Museum|Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera]]''. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1997.</ref> The sky and thunder god of the Inca, [[Viracocha]], has been associated with the animal.<ref>{{cite web |first=Kulmar |last=Tarmo |url=http://folklore.ee/folklore/vol12/inca.htm |others=Kait Realo (translator) |title=On the role of Creation and Origin Myths in the Development of Inca State and Religion |access-date=May 22, 2007 |work=Electronic Journal of Folklore |publisher=Estonian Folklore Institute |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630045739/http://www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol12/inca.htm |archive-date=June 30, 2007}}</ref>

In North America, mythological descriptions of the cougar have appeared in the stories of the [[Hocąk language]] ("Ho-Chunk" or "Winnebago") of [[Wisconsin]] and [[Illinois]]<ref>[http://hotcakencyclopedia.com/ho.Cougars.html "Cougars"]; {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421212756/http://hotcakencyclopedia.com/ho.Cougars.html |date=April 21, 2010 }}. ''The Encyclopedia of Hočąk (Winnebago) Mythology''. Retrieved: 2009/12/08.</ref> and the [[Cheyenne]], among others. To the [[Apache]] and [[Walapai]] of the Southwestern United States, the wail of the cougar was a harbinger of death.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nwrc/publications/living/cougar.pdf |title=Living with Wildlife: Cougars |access-date=April 11, 2009 |publisher=[[United States Department of Agriculture|USDA]] [[Wildlife Services]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090420203146/http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nwrc/publications/living/cougar.pdf |archive-date=April 20, 2009}}</ref> The [[Algonquin people|Algonquins]] and [[Ojibwe]] believe that the cougar lived in the underworld and was wicked, whereas it was a sacred animal among the [[Cherokee]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures |author1=Matthews, John |author2=Matthews, Caitlín |year=2005 |publisher=HarperElement |isbn=978-1-4351-1086-1 |page=364}}</ref>