 In the Central and South American cougar range , the ratio of deer in the diet declines . Small to mid @-@ sized mammals are preferred , including large rodents such as the <unk> . <unk> accounted for only 35 % of prey items in one survey , about half that of North America . Competition with the larger jaguar has been suggested for the decline in the size of prey items . Other listed prey species of the cougar include mice , <unk> , <unk> , raccoons , hares , <unk> , <unk> , <unk> , <unk> , and wild turkey . Birds and small reptiles are sometimes preyed upon in the south , but this is rarely recorded in North America . Not all of their prey is listed here due to their large range . 
