what is a catamount
A catamount is a large wild cat, most commonly another name for a cougar, mountain lion, puma, or panther, especially in North America.
What is a catamount?
- It’s an old North American term for “cat of the mountain,” originally from Middle English.
- Today it almost always refers to the species Puma concolor — the cougar/mountain lion/puma/panther.
- Some older uses also applied it to other wild cats like the lynx.
A simple way to think of it: if you hear “catamount” in modern speech, you can safely picture a sleek, tan mountain lion on a rocky hillside at dusk.
Basic facts (quick scoop style)
- Type of animal: Large wild cat (family Felidae), same species as cougar/mountain lion.
- Size: Among the largest wild cats in North America; adults can reach around 6–8 feet from nose to tail.
- Other names: Cougar, puma, mountain lion, panther.
- Range: Native to the Americas; still present in many western North American regions, though gone from some eastern areas.
- Prey: Deer and other ungulates, plus smaller mammals; they are stealthy ambush predators.
Word origin and usage
- The word comes from the phrase “cat of the mountain,” shortened over time to “catamount.”
- It has been used in English since at least the 1600s for wild mountain cats.
- In literature and older texts, it can appear in slightly archaic spellings like “catamountain.”
You’ll see “catamount” pop up in novels to give a wild, rugged feel to a scene involving a prowling or caged big cat.
Catamounts in today’s culture
- The University of Vermont (UVM) uses the Catamount as its sports mascot; the animal represents agility and power (they’re famously strong jumpers).
- “Catamounts” is also a nickname for some sports teams and school communities in New England and beyond.
- The word occasionally trends online when people encounter it in sports broadcasts or headlines and wonder what it means.
In places like Vermont, the idea of the “last catamount” has become part history, part local legend, since the last one known to be killed there was in 1881.
Mini table: catamount vs other names
| Term | What it refers to | Common where? |
|---|---|---|
| Catamount | Large wild cat, usually cougar/mountain lion. | [9][5][3]Older/regionally in North America, esp. New England. | [6][1][3]
| Cougar | Same species, *Puma concolor*. | [10][5]Modern North American usage. | [5][10]
| Mountain lion | Same animal, emphasizes its habitat. | [10][3][5]Common in U.S. West. | [5][10]
| Puma | Same species, international term. | [10][5]Widely used in Latin America and Europe. | [5][10]