Adorable mountain lion kittens found in California mountains

Two baby mountain lions try to imitate their mother with a ferocious roar, but instead, captivate the Internet with their cuteness. If the Internet truly is for cat videos, this one is the ultimate.

Mary Bowerman, USA TODAY Network
January 18, 2016

(Photo: National Park Service)

National Park Service biologists recently discovered two adorable mountain lion kittens in the Santa Monica Mountains in California.

The female and male kittens, known as P-46 and P-47, were discovered by park rangers in a remote area, according to a statement from the National Park Service.

The kittens are an important indicator that despite massive development in the area, mountain lions continue to reproduce, Jeff Sikich, a biologist for Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area said in a statement.

“These kittens have many challenges ahead of them, from evading other mountain lions, to crossing freeways, to dealing with exposure to rat poison," Sikich said in a statement.

Biologists implanted tracking devices on the kittens, and have been monitoring their mother, P-19, since 2010. Biologists are currently testing DNA to identify whether the cubs are the offspring of their mother’s father, P-12.

According to the statement, inbreeding is a massive threat to mountain lion populations, which are essentially trapped by development “on an island of habitat.”

Mountain lions, like other animals in the area, are especially vulnerable populations in part due to habitat fragmentation.

“A proposed wildlife crossing over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills would connect large swaths of natural land from the Santa Monica Mountains to the Sierra Madres,” the National Park Service said in a statement.

The National Park Service has been studying mountain lions in the area since 2002.

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