Blue-Eyed Mountain Lion Litter Found In Santa Monica Mountains

LOS ANGELES, CA — Researchers celebrated the discovery of a litter of four mountain lion kittens in the Santa Monica Mountains recently, but the odds are stacked against spotted little blue-eyed cats.

The litter of two boys and two girls is the product of generations of inbreeding, according to the National Park Service. Hemmed in by major freeways including the 101 Freeway, the Santa Monica Mountain population of lions are among the west's least genetically diverse.

Here’s what researchers know about the newest kittens in the mountain range:

The four-week-old kittens known as P-70, P-71, P-72, and P-73 belong to an eight-year-old lion known as P-19. She is believed to have mated with P-56, her three-year-old grandson. Scientists believe the two mated because they were tracked spending time together around the time the kittens would have been conceived.

“We have documented multiple cases of inbreeding during the course of our study,” said Jeff Sikich, biologist for Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. “The 101 Freeway is a major barrier to movement, which restricts the ability of mountain lions to come into and go out of the area, and unfortunately leads to a lack of breeding options.”

The latest batch of kittens is P-19’s fourth. Of her seven known kittens, only one is confirmed to be alive (P-47), according to the National Park Service.

The kitten’s father P-56, is himself the product of inbreeding, too. The problem is a major threat to the local mountain population.

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According to the National Park Service, a study co-authored in 2016 with researchers at UCLA found that without increased connectivity, especially animals moving in from the north, the population in the Santa Monica Mountains is at risk of extinction.

Caltrans is working with preservationists on a plan to build a wildlife crossing over the 101 Freeway in the Liberty Canyon area, following the deaths of several big cats trying to cross the freeway.

Photos courtesy of the National Park Service