Puma (Felis) concolor Linnaeus... Commonly referred to as cougar, mountain lion and panther as well as puma, pumas are listed as Endangered in the eastern portions of the United States. North Americans call it "cougar," which comes from the Brazilian word, "cuguacuarana." The Cherokees named it "klandaghi," which means "lord of the forest." The Chickasaws referred to it as the "Cat of God." The Incas called it "puma." The Zuni natives of the southwestern deserts named it "father of game." Early European settlers in North America had their own way of speaking and called it "painter," meaning "panther." They also called it "catamount," short for "cat of the mountains." When, in 1502, Columbus saw one for the first time in the Honduras, he referred to it as "leon," meaning "lion." Whatever name people choose to use , mountain lion, puma, catamount, painter, panther, ghost cat, tyger , they all mean cougar, the lion of the Americas.