Puma concolr
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English: Cougar
German: Puma
French: Puma
Spanish: Puma
Distribution areas
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The cougar is found throughout the
American continents, from Canada to the
southern coast of South America.
Description of the fur
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The skin is from 100 to 185 cm long. The The surface structure
hair coat is variable in colour. The of the skin, 200x
animals living in cold areas are light
grey-brown in colour, while in the tropical and warmer territories the coat
is darker, grey-brown, and is usually only 5 to 8 mm thick. The longest guard
hairs measure about 60 mm.
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Puma concolr
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English: Cougar
German: Puma
French: Puma
Spanish: Puma
Structure of the hair
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The microscopic structure of the skin
surface is furrowed; the hair follicles are
wide with sunken edges, and contain
clusters of fibres.
The fine fur fibres are circular in
cross-section, with a diameter of from 12 The cuticular structure
to 18 µm. The cuticle is covered by of the fine fibres, 2000x
cornet-like scales, in the upper part by
the comb-like ones also, with a smooth surface and straight scale margins.
These fine fibres are sometimes non-medullated, but in some cases contain a
narrow medulla of the uniserial ladder type. These medullas are unbroken,
central symmetrical-shaped and the infilling medullar substance is amorphous.
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Puma concolr
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English: Cougar
German: Puma
French: Puma
Spanish: Puma
The intermediate fibres are elliptical
in cross-section. These fibres have a
diameter of 25 to 45 µm. The cuticular
scales are even, tile-like with a smooth
scale surface and straight margins. The
medulla is usually wide, but sometimes
narrow, and unbroken longitudinally. These
medullas are situated in the central axial
area of the shafts symmetrically. The The cuticular structure
overall structure of the medulla is of the of an intermediate hair, 1000x
sponge-lattice-like type with a foam-like
infilling substance.
The guard hairs also have an elliptical cross-section with a diameter
measuring from 45 to 75 µm. The cuticular scales are of the even, tile-like,
or crenated, tile-like type with a smooth scale surface and straight, or
sometimes in the upper parts, crenated, scale margins.
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Puma concolr
------------
English: Cougar
German: Puma
French: Puma
Spanish: Puma
The medulla is narrow, unbroken and
central symmetrical-shaped in cross-section.
The medullary structure is of the sponge
-lattice-like type with a foam-like
infilling material.
Longitudinal section
of a guard hair, 1000x
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Puma concolr
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English: Cougar
German: Puma
French: Puma
Spanish: Puma
Detailed structure
of the medulla, 4000x
Numerical code for cougar skin structure
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Surface of the skin: 3-1-3
Fine fur fibres: 1-5.6-1-1-4.3-.1-.1-.1-.8-12.18-6.15
Intermediate fibres: 2-2-1-1-2.3-1-1-6-5-25.45-25.41
Guard hairs: 2-2.4-1-1.2-3-1-1-6-5-45.75-40.61
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