Mountain lion cubs caught on camera
Biologists at the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, near Los Angeles, have been tracking nearby wild mountain lions via remote automatic cameras.
This week, photos surfaced of a mountain lioness, P-19, and two of her elusive cubs, P-32 and P-33, snacking on a freshly killed deer. The photos provide a rare glimpse into the lives of these magnificent big cats ... and reveal their innate knack for photobombing.
(Warning: Some of these photos are graphic.)
Here's P-33, a female cub, showing up at the kill scene ahead of her mother and brother. Park officials had feared she was dead because she hadn't appeared on cameras for a while.
"Fluffy" cub
P-33 is about 15 months old. That's still a kitten by a biologist's reckoning.
"She looks younger and more fluffy in this photo than the others," a Park Service rep commented via the service's official Facebook page, "or at least that’s my non-scientific observation!"
Fresh kill
Cats such as these have a specific way of eating a fresh kill, such as this deer: They enter the abdominal cavity first and eat the vital organs, such as the liver and the heart.
Strong teeth
Cats' mouths are not designed for chewing, only ripping and tearing. Here, P-33 turns her head to the side while she bites through the deer hide. All the better to use her carnassials, modified molars and premolars that act almost like shears.
Raspy tongues
Owners of house cats know all about sandpaper-like tongues, and mountain lions have them too. Here, P-33 shows hers to the camera.
Mom arrives for dinner
On the left, mother lioness prepares to swallow a mouthful of meat while P-32, a male cub, shows off his tracking collar. The collars are designed to fall off as a cub grows into adulthood.
Spot the lions
There are actually three big cats in this photo. That's P-33 in the background, relaxing after her meal.
Ear tags
The Park Service uses ear tags to help track the wild mountain lions.
Graceful mother
This shot captured P-19 solo.
Almost grown
Although she's still technically a cub, P-33 already has shed her tracking collar, park service reps say. She had it for about two weeks before getting rid of it. Park service biologists feared that P-33 had died because she'd avoided remote cameras for a long time.
"Maybe she was just camera shy," a Park Services rep commented on Facebook, "because here she is at age 15 months looking healthy and strong."
Photobomber
P-19 proves that wild animals can photobomb with the best of 'em.
Camera curiosity
The male cub, P-32, demonstrates and awareness and curiosity about the remote camera. The photos were taken western end of the Santa Monica Mountains, near the Los Angeles county border.