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Scientific Classification
Notice how the cougar's uniform color conceals them equally well in a forest and on an open hillside
The Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) is one of more than 25 subspecies of cougar (Puma concolor). Describing and classifying subspecies is sometimes a nebulous process. This is especially confounded when dealing with a species as wide ranging as the puma. A search through various books and sources reveal inconsistent numbers of subspecies listed ranging from 26-30.
The subspecies name coryi comes from naturalist and hunter Charles Barney Cory who first described the Florida panther as a subspecies of cougar in 1896 in Hunting and Fishing in Florida. He named it Felis concolor floridana, but floridana had already been used for a subspecies of bobcat so scientists changed the name to Felis concolor coryi.
Until 1993, the cougar was classified in the genus Felis along with the domestic cat, the ocelot, and 27 other species. In 1993 the cougar was reassigned to the genus Puma (Wilson and Reeder 1993).
| Cougar Subspecies in North America | |
|---|---|
| Subspecies | Common Name |
| couguar | Eastern cougar |
| schorgeri | Wisconsin cougar |
| missoulensis | Missoula cougar |
| hippolestes | Colorado cougar |
| oregonensis | Oregon cougar |
| vancouverensis | Vancouver Island cougar |
| californica | California cougar |
| kaibabensis | Kaibab cougar |
| browni | Yuma puma |
| improcera | Baja California cougar |
| azteca | Mexican cougar |
| stanleyana | Texas cougar |
| coryi | Florida panther |
| mayensis | Mayan cougar |
| costaricensis | Costa Rican puma |
| Cougar Subspecies in South America | |
|---|---|
| Subspecies | Common Name |
| concolor | Brazilian cougar |
| bangsi | Colombian cougar |
| soderstromi | Ecuador cougar |
| discolor | Amazon cougar |
| incarum | Incan cougar |
| osgoodi | Bolivian cougar |
| acrocodia | Mato Grosso cougar |
| puma | Chilean puma |
| cabrerae | Argentine puma |
| pearsoni | Pearson's puma |
| patagonica | Patagonia puma |
| araucanus | Andes puma |
| Source: Busch 1996 | |