Mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains

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P-12, the dominant male in the western Santa Monica Mountains from 2009 to 2015 P12 (mountain lion) 2.webp
P-12, the dominant male in the western Santa Monica Mountains from 2009 to 2015

The Santa Monica Mountains mountain range, part of the Transverse Ranges in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, is known for its population of mountain lions (Puma concolor). Mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains are one of only two instances of large wild cats living in a megacity, the other being leopards in Mumbai, India. [1] [2] The most notable mountain lion in the range was P-22, which lived in Griffith Park, was photographed in front of the Hollywood Sign, and was featured on the cover of National Geographic . [3]

Contents

Area

Home ranges of mountain lions in the Santa Monica, Santa Susana, and Verdugo Mountains P-22 Home Range in Comparison.jpg
Home ranges of mountain lions in the Santa Monica, Santa Susana, and Verdugo Mountains

The Santa Monica Mountains extend approximately 40 miles (60 km) [4] from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County. [5] Although heavily developed, much of the range has been preserved as local, state, or national parkland, the largest of which is the 153,075 acres (619.47 km2) Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. [6]

Mountain lions are territorial and require ample acreage to find food and mates. The home range of a single mountain lion can be as large as 128,000 acres (520 km2). The mountain lion area in the Santa Monica Mountains (west of I-405 and south of US-101) can support 10 to 15 lions, not including kittens. [7]

History

Mountain lions have lived in the Santa Monica Mountains since before the arrival of Europeans [8] (the Gabrieleño/Tongva language word for Puma concolor is tukuurot) [9] and despite the range's relatively small area, the population has remained stable. [1]

Long term survival of mountain lions in the range is threatened by several factors, especially the isolation of their habitat by freeways. This isolation, which started when the Ventura Freeway was constructed in the 1950s and was exacerbated by housing developments alongside it, has led to inbreeding, as the area now has almost no new DNA entering it. Genetic analyses in the 2000s revealed that the Santa Monica Mountains mountain lion population had the second lowest level of genetic diversity ever documented amongst large carnivores in North America, the lowest being Florida panthers in the mid-1990s. [10]

P-53 suffering from mange, a common result of anticoagulant poisoning P-53 with mange (47258096882).jpg
P-53 suffering from mange, a common result of anticoagulant poisoning

Other threats to the Santa Monica Mountains mountain lion population include wildlife-vehicle collisions, anticoagulant rodenticides, and intraspecific conflict. [11] According to the National Park Service, 32 mountain lions in or near the Santa Monicas were killed by wildlife-vehicle collisions between 2002 and 2022; 28 of 29 mountain lions tested for anticoagulant compounds tested positive, including seven fatal cases; and intraspecific conflict, while common in the species, is exacerbated by the small and now isolated nature of the Santa Monicas. [1] [7]

P-81's kinked tail, the first documented case of physical abnormalities amongst mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains P-81 (50324186927).jpg
P-81's kinked tail, the first documented case of physical abnormalities amongst mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains

In 2016, researchers from the National Park Service, UCLA, UC Davis, and Utah State University predicted that without significant changes, the Santa Monica Mountains mountain lions could become extinct within 50 years. [12] In 2020, researchers found the first evidence of physical abnormalities in the population. [13] The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, which will connect the Santa Monica Mountains across US-101 to the Simi Hills, is meant to prevent this. [14] The crossing, which cost $90 million ($96.7 million in 2024), most of which was raised through private donations, broke ground in 2022. [15] It is expected to be completed in 2026, at which point it will become the largest wildlife crossing in the world. [14] [16]

Additional legal protection for mountain lions throughout California was provided in 2020, when the state signed AB 1788 into law. This law prohibits most uses of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides statewide. [17] Hunting is also not a threat to mountain lions, as the California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990 made the practice illegal throughout California. [18] Since 2002, only one mountain lion is known to have been poached in the Santa Monica Mountains. [7]

Diet

Mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains primarily dine on mule deer. Of the 400+ documented kills by mountain lions in the area between 2002 and 2014, 95% were mule deer. [19]

Individual mountain lions

In 2002, the National Park Service began tracking individual mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains and surrounding areas. More than 100 mountain lions have been tracked since. [7]

Santa Monica Mountains

Notable individuals whose home range was in the Santa Monica Mountains include: [7]

P-1 aka King of the Mountains, the dominant male from 2002 to 2009 Puma concolor P-1.jpg
P-1 aka King of the Mountains, the dominant male from 2002 to 2009
P-19 aka Selfie Cat, who was known for her photogenic poses captured by trail cameras P-19 (mountain lion).webp
P-19 aka Selfie Cat, who was known for her photogenic poses captured by trail cameras
P-22 aka Hollywood Cat, who lived in Griffith Park and was featured on the cover of National Geographic P-22 2019.jpg
P-22 aka Hollywood Cat, who lived in Griffith Park and was featured on the cover of National Geographic
P-23's second litter's birth being so recent after the first indicates no kittens from the first litter survived.
P-54's second litter's birth being so recent after the first indicates no kittens from the first litter survived.
P-65 aka Coastal Cat, who spent much of her time near the Pacific coast P-65 Santa Monica Mountains mountain lion.webp
P-65 aka Coastal Cat, who spent much of her time near the Pacific coast

Surrounding areas

Additional mountain lions live in the areas surrounding the Santa Monica Mountains, particularly in the Santa Susana Mountains. Some of them originate from the Santa Monicas; others approached the Santa Monicas but turned back rather than attempting to cross US-101; and even more have no connection to the Santa Monicas other than living near them. These mountain lions include: [7]

P-64 aka Culvert Cat in front of the culvert he used to repeatedly cross US-101 P-64 taken 2018-05-22.jpg
P-64 aka Culvert Cat in front of the culvert he used to repeatedly cross US-101

See also

References

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  2. Larson, Christina; Ghosal, Aniruddha (June 30, 2022). "Big cats in urban jungle: LA mountain lions, Mumbai leopards". Associated Press.
  3. 1 2 Dell'Amore, Christine (December 14, 2022). "How this photo turned a reclusive mountain lion into a Hollywood icon". National Geographic . Archived from the original on December 14, 2022.
  4. "Santa Monica Mountains". Encyclopædia Britannica . Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  5. "The Largest Urban Park In The USA". Santa Monica Mountains Fund. May 23, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  6. "Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Frequently Asked Questions". National Park Service . Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 "Puma Profiles". National Park Service . Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  8. Guerin, Emily (August 30, 2016). "Will the mountain lions of the Santa Monica Mountains die out?". LAist.
  9. Stone, Erin (April 12, 2025). "Wildlife is returning to the Altadena foothills after the Eaton Fire. Yes, that's a mountain lion". LAist . Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Stokstad, Erik (August 14, 2014). "The real mountain lions of LA County". Science .
  11. Sahagún, Louis (February 2, 2023). "California is turning mountain lions into roadkill faster than they can reproduce". Los Angeles Times .
  12. "Local Mountain Lion Population Faces Precipitous Decline in Genetic Diversity Within 50 Years, Possible Extinction". National Park Service. August 30, 2016.
  13. Carlson, Cheri (September 9, 2020). "Mountain lion found in Santa Monica Mountains might be first with physical abnormalities". Ventura County Star . Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  14. 1 2 Jaynes, Cristen Hemingway (April 14, 2022). "World's largest wildlife crossing will soon stretch across California's Highway 101". World Economic Forum.
  15. "California groundbreaking set for largest wildlife crossing". Associated Press . March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  16. "World's largest wildlife crossing on track to open by early 2026". State of California. May 7, 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
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  18. 1 2 3 Pratt, Beth (2016). When Mountain Lions Are Neighbors. Heydey Books. ISBN   978-1-59714-638-8.
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  29. 1 2 Kirchner, Jane (January 6, 2016). "Meet the Real Cougars (Mountain Lions) of L.A." National Park Service.
  30. Kerlin, Kat (November 15, 2024), Mountain Lions Coexist with Outdoor Recreationists by Taking the Night Shift, University of California Davis
  31. Goodyear, Dana (February 5, 2017). "Lions of Los Angeles". The New Yorker .
  32. 1 2 3 Fonseca, Ryan (December 20, 2017). "Mountain lion P-41, found dead in October, had rat poison in his system". Los Angeles Daily News .
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  34. Behrens, Zach (December 16, 2015). "Another Surprise from P-23". National Park Service.
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  44. Catanzaro, Sam (January 30, 2020). "Mother Puma Discovered in Santa Monica Mountains". Palisades News .
  45. "P-81 First Mountain Lion Found With Genetic Abnormalities In Santa Monica Mountains". CBS News . September 9, 2020.
  46. Salahieh, Nouran; McGraw, Jennifer (August 28, 2021). "Mountain lion killed after attacking 5-year-old boy in his front yard near Calabasas". KTLA .
  47. Serna, Joseph (May 16, 2018). "Mountain lions are being killed on freeways and weakened by inbreeding. Researchers have a solution". Los Angeles Times .
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  50. Childs, Jeremy (October 3, 2019). "Simi Valley man pleads guilty to killing mountain lion P-38". Ventura County Star .
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  52. Groves, Martha (May 29, 2015). "Meet the Verdugo Mountains' very own mountain lion: P-41". Los Angeles Times .
  53. "3 mountain lion kittens born in Santa Monica Mountains". ABC News . June 4, 2020.
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  57. Hall, Carla (December 10, 2021). "The short, sad life of the mountain lion kitten known as P-100". Los Angeles Times .
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