Neptune's Dolphins

 

Ahighly adaptable cat, the puma lives in habitats ranging from snow-covered mountains to tropical rainforests of the Western Hemisphere. Because of her wide range, she has been called many names by many peoples. “Cougar” is derived from a Tupi word, which means “false deer,” because of her brown coat and large size. “Puma,” from the Quechua language of the Incas, means “power.” “Mountain Lion” was a joke that Native Americans played on the Dutch in New York. They told the Dutch that the puma was a female lion that lived in the mountains. (Note 1)

 

Known by many names, the puma is a member of the Small Cats (Felinae Sub-Family) (Note 2) rather than the Big Cats (Pantherinae Sub-Family). Often called “panther” (Note 3), this is a misnomer since the puma does not belong in the Big Cat Family. (“Black Panther” is either a black jaguar or leopard.) Like all Felinae, the puma cannot roar. However, she screams like a woman, which frightens people and other animals.

 

Because she is an exceptionally successful generalist, the puma survived the late Pleistocene extinctions of other large North American felids. Wherever she lives, the puma migrates to follow deer and other prey. She prefers living in caves or among rocky outcrops.

 

Among Native Americans, the puma has a mixed reputation. The Anishinaabe (Note 4) believe She is a being of chaos. (Note 5) The Shawnee see Her more positively, since they think She possesses the gift of prophecy. More familiar with the puma, the Apache People consider Her to be a good mother. The Seminole respect the Florida panther (a subspecies of pumas), who is associated with the winds. (Usually, the members of their Panther Clan are also their leaders.) At the ruins of the Pecos Pueblo is a burial mound honoring Puma as one of the “Beast Gods.”

 

The Huron-Wyandot and the Seneca connect the puma to comets. As the “Death Panther,” He warns the people of imminent disaster. With tobacco offerings, they ask “Death Panther” to “turn aside impending evil.”

 

In Mayan and Aztec cosmology, the puma represents the sun and the Upperworld. (The jaguar is the moon and the Underworld.) The Solar Puma is shown with a crown of rays at Teotihuacan. During the eclipses, the Solar Puma and the Lunar Jaguar form a sexual union or fight each other.

 

For the Incas, the Puma, with the Condor and Serpent, make up the Sacred Trilogy. (Note 6) The Puma represents the wisdom and strength of the earth. This Small Cat is associated with the Land of the Living (Kay Pacha). In fact, Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire, is laid out depicting the Puma.

 

The puma has long been a part of North American folklore. Among the woodsmen, the ball-tailed cat is more feared than the puma. This cat is a puma with a giant bone ball at the end of his tail. It uses the ball to drum to attract females. The other use is to drop down on an unsuspecting lumberjack and beat them to death.

 

Another puma-like cat is the Wampus cat, a jet-black panther with glowing eyes. The Wampus cat, with her six legs, is a part of the folklore of the Appalachians. This cat has exceptional speed and agility. This makes it hard to protect livestock from the Wampus cat.

 

Long and lean, the puma is immensely powerful and capable of killing a black bear in a single bite. Stalking him, the puma makes a powerful leap on his back and knocks him to the ground. In forests, she races through the trees with great agility and speed. Concealing herself, the puma follows people closely without them sensing it. In fact, she is an “UFO,” often talked about but little seen.

 

By whatever name the puma is called, she is the epitome of personal power. Elusive and agile, the puma either strikes or watches as she chooses to do. As the graceful ruler of the mountains, she deals out life and death on her timetable. Just remember not to be so elusive and agile that no one can find you. Gary Urbak, a naturalist, noted “It’s sufficient just to know that sometimes in the shadows of dusk, felines on huge paws still creep across the land.”

 

Notes:

Note 1: Names for the puma: cougar, mountain lion, panther, catamount, leopardo.

 

Note 2: Scientists have traditionally split the Cat Family into two groups – the Big Cats (Pantherinae) and Small Cats (Felinae). Although many Felinae are small, the puma (cougar) and ocelot are not. However, they are smaller than Big Cats. Felines differ from Big Cats in other significant ways. Felines hunt by biting the back of their prey’s neck with their needle-sharp teeth. They sever the neck vertebrae of their prey. When felines eat, they crouch. Meticulous, they strive to keep themselves clean, and spend many hours grooming themselves.

 

Note 3: “Panther” is a commonly used word for several cats. The puma (cougar), a member of the Small Cat Sub-family, is called “panther.” The leopard and jaguar are also called “panther.”

 

Note 4: The Anishinaabe People are the Ojibwe, Odawa (Ottawa), Potawatomi, Mississaugas, Nipissing, and Algonquin.

 

Note 5: The Mishipeshu (Underwater Panther) is a Master of the Water and a foe of the Thunderbird, who is a Master of the Air. (Post on this Water God is forthcoming.)

 

Note 6: The Sacred Trilogy represents the Three Worlds of the Inca religion. The Condor, Emissary to the Gods, is associated with the Upper World (Hanan Pacha), The Serpent (Anaconda) with the Lower World (Ukhu Pacha). (A Post on the Trilogy is forthcoming.)

Found throughout most of the world, butterflies are the most beloved of insects. The Monarch of the New World and Swallowtail of the Old World are greatly admired for their beauty. What people do not realize is that butterflies and moths belong to the same Order of Lepidoptera (scale wing). They think that there are dramatic differences between the two species. For instance, butterflies are always beautiful, and moths are not. However, many moths such as Luna Moth are beautiful, while many butterflies such as Cabbage Butterfly are dull colored. What makes butterflies beloved by people, and moths sinister and mysterious? Butterflies are seen during the day, while moths only come out at night.

 

What butterflies are best known for are their magical transformations. From a rather, dowdy caterpillar springs forth a magnificent butterfly. Mother Butterfly lays eggs on a particular plant species. For weeks after the caterpillars emerge, they feed off the plant. After molting several times, the now legless caterpillars become chrysalis, thereby suspending themselves from leaves by a girdle of silk. After a period of internal transformation, the adults emerge as butterflies.

 

Many people associated butterflies with souls. In Europe, the newly dead would hover near their body as a butterfly. In Ireland, the white butterfly held the soul of a dead child. For others, the butterfly meant the death of the body, and the rebirth of the soul in paradise. In Mexico, the Monarchs arrive at the Day of the Dead (Dia de Los Muertos). Some see these butterflies as spirits of their ancestors returning.

 

To the Chinese, butterflies are a symbol of joy. The Japanese regard a pair of butterflies as a symbol of married happiness. The Japanese thought that if one enters your home and perches on a screen, that the person that you love would come to visit.

 

For Christians, the butterfly is a symbol of resurrection, new life, and immortality. Like Christ who died and rose again, the butterfly dies as a caterpillar and emerges from the chrysalis as a glorious butterfly. This act symbolizes Christ rising from the Tomb.

 

Various species of butterflies have specific meanings. In Ancient Egypt, the Tiger Butterfly was associated with Ra, the God of the Sun. (This butterfly resembled the ankh.) In the Appalachian Mountains, the Fritillary means money is coming, while in the Ozarks, the Mourning Cloak means that spring is here.

 

The lessons of the Butterfly Family are let go of old behavior, and move into the next phase of your life. Trust in the process of change, and weather the winds of uncertainty. Know when you are going through a transition that the butterfly is there to help you through it. Remember not to be in such a hurry. Be like the butterfly and take your time, and be still for a while.

 

Note: The differences between butterflies and moths: Butterflies have clubbed antenna. Moths form a cocoon, butterflies, a chrysalis. Moths have a frenulum, which holds their two wings together during a flight.

 

“Despite their small size, butterflies and moths are some of the world’s most wondrous animals. Their beauty, seemingly miraculous metamorphosis, and apparently carefree flight all spark our imaginations.” – Barbra Feldman, Surf Net Kids.