Researchers Find Litter of 4 Mountain Lion Kittens in California Hills

A group of researchers in California recently made an adorable discovery in the Simi Hills, a litter of four mountain lion kittens.

The kittens, all female, were born about a month ago. They were found after biologists tracking the mother, known as P-62, visited their den.

At a point when P-62 stepped away on June 11, the brave researchers were able to record the kittens in their natural habitat on June 11 after several failed attempts.

This is the first mountain lion kitten den researchers have documented in the Simi Hills. The kittens were found on the 2,668-acre Santa Susana Field Laboratory site, with the cooperation of The Boeing Company.

The biologists took tissue samples of the kittens to give them a general health check and also tag their ears to allow tracking. 

The blue-eyed, spotted kittens are about 4 and a half weeks old and weigh between four and five pounds each.

The National Park Service has been studying mountain lions in and around the Santa Monica Mountains since 2002 to determine how they survive in an increasingly fragmented and urbanized environment.

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