According to the 1771 book
Puma, Wild Cats: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan, the cougar preys on birds, camelids, deer, sloths, rodents, frogs, agoutis, lizards, and spectacled bear cubs. Furthermore, in Peru, the cougar only abandons kills when it is harassed by the Andean condor, meaning the animal kills 50% more prey than North American cougars. Alongside its cousin, the jaguar, cougars hold immense historical, cultural and ritual significance amongst many South American peoples. Mary Strong’s 2012 book
Andean Thinking,
Art, Nature, and Religion in the Central Andes: Themes and Variations from Prehistory to the Present , informs that indigenous people in the Andes regarded the puma as being either a snatcher of souls, or as a helper of people, and the Chankas, archenemies of the Incas, had the cougar as their deity.