June 27, 2010

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Baby Mountain Lions!

Figure 1: Mountain lion kitten. From my good friends at LAist: Since 2002, biologists having been tracking and studying the movements of mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains, Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains to better understand how they live surrounded by development.

By Jason G. Goldman

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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

Figure 1: Mountain lion kitten.

From my good friends at LAist:

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Since 2002, biologists having been tracking and studying the movements of mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains, Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains to better understand how they live surrounded by development.
A total of 19 pumas have been tracked during the study, including the three kittens. Currently, nine are being tracked via GPS or VHF, which makes it the largest number of lions being tracked at the same time.

The three kittens are exciting for scientists as the unconfirmed father could be P12 (P stands for Puma, another name for mountain lion, which is also the species' genus - Puma concolor). In the Spring of 2009, P12 made headlines after it crossed, over or under, the 101 Freeway from the Simi Hills in to the Santa Monica Mountains in the Agoura Hills area. That in itself was exciting news as biologists are concerned about wildlife connectivity in the area. In the past five years, at least two North American black bears have made it across the freeway into the mountains.

But P12's new home in the Santa Monicas means something else: fewer chances of inbreeding. With limited movement, thanks to the surrounding development, mountain lions in the range stand a good chance to mate with family members. P12 is genetically different and if the father of the kittens, the genetic diversity will play an important role in the future success of the local mountain lion population. The mother of P17, P18 and P19, has been confirmed to be P13.

Figure 2: Check out the massive claws!
Figure 3: Student wildlife biologist Emmanuel Lara carries a kitten back to the den.

Jason G. Goldman is a science journalist based in Los Angeles. He has written about animal behavior, wildlife biology, conservation, and ecology for Scientific American, Los Angeles magazine, the Washington Post, the Guardian, the BBC, Conservation magazine, and elsewhere. He contributes to Scientific American's "60-Second Science" podcast, and is co-editor of Science Blogging: The Essential Guide (Yale University Press). He enjoys sharing his wildlife knowledge on television and on the radio, and often speaks to the public about wildlife and science communication.

More by Jason G. Goldman

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