Puma fossil map
Where fossils of Puma have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 9.4 million years ago to the present (Tortonian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Felidae |
| Named by | Jardine 1834 |
| Fossil records | 162 occurrences at 64 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Mexico, Uruguay, Venezuela, Panama, Bolivia, Chile … |
| Rock formations | txn:41045, Palm Spring, Glenns Ferry, Sopas, Blanco, Chalk Hills |
About Puma
Puma ( or ) is a genus in the family Felidae whose only extant species is the cougar (also known as the puma, mountain lion, and panther, among other names), and may also include several poorly known Old World fossil representatives (for example, Puma pardoides, or Owen's panther, a large, cougar-like cat of Eurasia's Pliocene). In addition to these potential Old World fossils, a few New World fossil representatives are possible, such as Puma pumoides and the two species of the so-called "American cheetah", currently classified under the genus Miracinonyx.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Puma (genus) (revision 1379875580), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q270748.
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