Puma ID guide
With no spots or stripes to help, identifying individual pumas may seem a tricky task. But there are key features to look out for that, combined together, create a unique set of characteristics for each puma in Torres del Paine:
- Face: Many have scars on their faces or ears (from guanaco hunts or fights with other pumas). Some have dark noses and others pink.
- Colour: Once your eye is tuned in, there are clear differences in coat colour, ranging from dark grey, to pale cream.
- Size: Male pumas are significantly larger than their female counterparts.
Learning these traits for each character helped the Dynasties team identify them – both during filming and later when reviewing the footage. All the individuals listed below have been named by the local researchers or guides who track them.
Rupestre
Adult female
She was the only female in the area with four cubs, so to start with she was easy to spot, as the four cubs gave her away, but as the cubs reached independence the team relied more on these features:
- Black dots on her pink nose
- Whirl of hair on her back, just behind her shoulder blades
- Beige coat colour
Oscuro
Older male
- Large stature (thought to be the largest male in the area)
- Dark grey coat
- Scars on face
- Notches on both ears
Blinka
Adult female
- Easily distinguished as her right eye is missing
- Pink nose
- Pale coat colour
Carnasa
Adult male
Younger than Oscuro, but exact age unknown.
- Dark eyes and nose
- Broad shoulders
- Unmarked ears
