Swimming by pumas (Puma concolor) in Patagonia: rethinking barriers to puma movement

Observations of pumas (Puma concolor) swimming across large bodies of water remain anecdotal in the scientific literature. Here we report long-distance swimming by a foraging male puma in Chilean Patagonia, as revealed by Argos and GPS technology. Our observation raises the question as to what might constitute a barrier to puma movements and gene flow in southern South America. Pumas are a flagship species used in identifying wildlife corridors and in landscape-scale conservation efforts in North America, and we feel a better understanding of puma metapopulation dynamics in South America is essential to both future conservation of the species and landscape-scale conservation efforts in southern South America as well.