Catamount, panther, cougar, mountain lion, puma: this animal was once the most widely distributed carnivore in the Americas, ranging from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the Yukon to the tip of South America. Populations have remained stable west of the Rockies but it is reported that the puma was essentially eradicated east of the Mississippi shortly after the turn of the century. This book chronicles the search for the cougar, while exploring the implications, the myths and the reality of the creature.