What is the scientific name of the puma?

The scientific name of the puma is Puma concolor.

This binomial places the animal in the genus Puma and identifies it as the species concolor. The name is used for the cat commonly called a puma, cougar, mountain lion, catamount, or—especially in parts of the United States—mountain lion. All of those common names refer to the same living species.

Carl Linnaeus proposed the name Felis concolor in 1771, based on a cat from Brazil. The species was later moved into the genus Puma, producing the modern combination Puma concolor. The Latin epithet concolor means “one color,” referring to the animal’s generally uniform coat rather than a pattern of bold spots or stripes in adults.

Puma concolor belongs to the cat family Felidae and is native to the Americas. Its range stretches from Canada through Central America and into the Andes and Patagonia. It is not a true lion of the genus Panthera: unlike lions, tigers, and jaguars, pumas cannot roar, although they can purr and produce other vocalizations.