mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains

File:P12 (mountain lion) 2.webp, 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.{{cite web |title=Lions in the Santa Monica Mountains |url=https://www.nps.gov/samo/learn/nature/pumapage.htm |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=April 11, 2025}}{{cite web |title=Big cats in urban jungle: LA mountain lions, Mumbai leopards |url=https://apnews.com/article/oddities-science-travel-c99fa72a760950adf0d1e168a1951219 |first1=Christina |last1=Larson |first2=Aniruddha |last2=Ghosal |date=June 30, 2022 |publisher=Associated Press}} 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.{{cite magazine | url = https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/p22-hollywood-cougar-steve-winter-photography | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221214211616/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/p22-hollywood-cougar-steve-winter-photography | url-status = dead | archive-date = December 14, 2022 | title = How this photo turned a reclusive mountain lion into a Hollywood icon | last = Dell'Amore | first = Christine | date = December 14, 2022 | magazine = National Geographic}}

Area

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

The Santa Monica Mountains extend approximately {{convert|40|mi|-1}}{{cite encyclopedia |title=Santa Monica Mountains |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=April 11, 2025 |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Santa-Monica-Mountains}} from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County.{{cite web |title=The Largest Urban Park In The USA |date=May 23, 2022 |url=https://www.samofund.org/exploring-our-mountains |publisher=Santa Monica Mountains Fund |access-date=April 11, 2025}} Although heavily developed, much of the range has been preserved as local, state, or national parkland, the largest of which is the {{convert|153,075|acre|km2}} Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.{{cite web |title=Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Frequently Asked Questions |url=https://www.nps.gov/samo/faqs.htm |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=April 11, 2025}}

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 {{convert|128000|acre|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.{{cite web |title=Puma Profiles |url=https://www.nps.gov/samo/learn/nature/puma-profiles.htm |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=April 11, 2025}}

History

Mountain lions have lived in the Santa Monica Mountains since before the arrival of Europeans{{cite web |title=Will the mountain lions of the Santa Monica Mountains die out? |url=https://laist.com/news/kpcc-archive/will-the-mountain-lions-of-the-santa-monica-mounta |publisher=LAist |date=August 30, 2016 |first=

Emily |last=Guerin}} (the Gabrieleño/Tongva language word for Puma concolor is {{lang|xgf|tukuurot}}){{Cite web |last=Stone |first=Erin |date=2025-04-12 |title=Wildlife is returning to the Altadena foothills after the Eaton Fire. Yes, that's a mountain lion |url=https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/wildlife-returning-eaton-fire-first-look-mountain-lion?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=&utm_campaign=LAist |access-date=2025-04-13 |publisher=LAist |language=en}} and despite the range's relatively small area, the population has remained stable.

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.{{cite journal |title=The real mountain lions of LA County |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/real-mountain-lions-la-county |first=Erik |last=Stokstad |date=August 14, 2014 |journal=Science}}

File:P-53 with mange (47258096882).jpg 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.{{cite news |title=California is turning mountain lions into roadkill faster than they can reproduce |url=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-02-02/cars-are-killing-mountain-lions-faster-than-they-can-breed |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=February 2, 2023 |first=Louis |last=Sahagún}} 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.

File:P-81 (50324186927).jpg, 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.{{cite web |title=Local Mountain Lion Population Faces Precipitous Decline in Genetic Diversity Within 50 Years, Possible Extinction |url=https://www.nps.gov/samo/learn/news/local-mountain-lion-population-faces-precipitous-decline-in-genetic-diversity-within-50-years-possible-extinction.htm |date=August 30, 2016 |publisher=National Park Service}} In 2020, researchers found the first evidence of physical abnormalities in the population.{{Cite news |last = Carlson |first = Cheri |date = September 9, 2020 |title = Mountain lion found in Santa Monica Mountains might be first with physical abnormalities |url = https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/special-reports/outdoors/2020/09/09/cougar-genetic-abnormalities-discovered-santa-monica-mountain-lions-p-81/5761841002/ |access-date = September 10, 2020 |newspaper = Ventura County Star |language = en-US }} The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, which will connect the Santa Monica Mountains across US-101 to the Simi Hills, is meant to prevent this. The crossing, which cost $90 million {{USDCY|90000000|2022}}, most of which was raised through private donations, broke ground in 2022.{{Cite news |date=March 25, 2022 |title=California groundbreaking set for largest wildlife crossing |url=https://apnews.com/article/mountains-environment-california-los-angeles-canada-b641c9aacaa098a044cc8410f41af72f |access-date=March 28, 2022 |work=Associated Press |language=en}} It is expected to be completed in 2026, at which point it will become the largest wildlife crossing in the world.{{Cite web |date=May 7, 2024 |title=World's largest wildlife crossing on track to open by early 2026 |url=https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/05/07/worlds-largest-wildlife-crossing-on-track-to-open-by-early-2026/ |publisher=State of California |access-date=April 10, 2025}}

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.{{cite web |title=Support California Assembly Bill 1788 |url=https://mountainlion.org/2020/09/09/support-california-assembly-bill-1788/ |publisher=Mountain Lion Foundation |date=September 29, 2020}}

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.{{cite news |title=Mountain Lion Family Feast Caught on Camera |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/mountain-lion-family-feast-caught-camera-n43286 |date=March 3, 2014 |work=NBC News}}

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.

=Santa Monica Mountains=

File:P-22 2019.jpg]]

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

P-1: the dominant male from 2002 to 2009, the largest and oldest to be tracked, and with P-6 the first documented case of inbreeding in the area
P-2: P-1's mate who was killed by P-1 when she tried to protect her male offspring from him{{cite news |title=The Lion Creeps Tonight |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2005/10/01/the-lion-creeps-tonight/528ca48c-4544-4733-8158-02a2d416e755/ |first=William |last=Booth |date=October 1, 2005 |newspaper=Washington Post}}
P-6: P-1 and P-2's daughter who mated with P-1
P-12: The dominant male from 2009 to 2015 who entered the range, replaced P-1 in the western end, and provided a genetic rescue. Also contributed to the second and third documented cases of inbreeding in the area, with P-19 and P-23, respectively.{{cite web |title=Two Precious Mountain Lion Kittens Have Been Found in the Santa Monica Mountains |url=https://lamag.com/animals/two-precious-mountain-lion-kittens-found-santa-monica-mountains |first=Marielle |last=Wakim |date=August 29, 2017 |magazine=Los Angeles}}{{cite web |title=Inbred mountain lion crosses the 101 Freeway |url=https://laist.com/news/kpcc-archive/mountain-lion-crosses-the-101-freeway-a-rare-event |first=Jed |last=Kim |date=March 20, 2015 |publisher=LAist}}
P-19: P-12's daughter who mated with him{{cite news |title=Mountain lions inbreeding |url=https://graphics.latimes.com/towergraphic-mountain-lions-inbreeding/#:~:text=Preliminary%20DNA%20test%20results%20suggest,more%20freely%20between%20open%20lands.|date=January 8, 2014 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}
P-22: dispersed across I-405, US-101, and into Griffith Park, where he was photographed in front of the Hollywood Sign and featured on the cover of National Geographic
P-23: P-12's daughter and granddaughter who mated with him{{cite news |title=4 New Mountain Lion Kittens Discovered In Santa Monica Mountains |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/mountain-lion-kittens-inbreeding/ |date=September 5, 2018 |work=KCAL News}}
P-27: the dominant male from 2013 (or earlier) to 2017 in the range's eastern end{{cite news |title=Well-known LA mountain lion dead, new male found in Santa Monica Mountains |url=https://www.dailynews.com/2017/10/25/mountain-lion-p-61-is-the-new-cat-in-town-but-what-happened-to-p-27/ |first=Ryan |last=Fonseca |newspaper=Los Angeles Daily News |date=October 26, 2017}}
P-45: the dominant male from 2015 to 2019 in the range's western end{{cite web |title=National Parks Service Surprised by Mountain Lion in Santa Monica Mountains |first=Ryan |last=Smythe |url=https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-parks-service-surprised-by-mountain-lion-in-santa-monica/89539/ |date=December 4, 2015 |work=NBC Los Angeles}}{{cite web |title=What happened to mountain lion P-45? |url=https://mountainlion.org/2019/06/18/what-happened-to-mountain-lion-p-45/ |publisher=Mountain Lion Foundation |date=June 18, 2019}}
P-47: was large enough to become a dominant male but died before he established himself as one{{cite news |title=Mountain Lion P-47 Found Dead in Santa Monica Mountains; Rat Poison Suspected: NPS |url=https://ktla.com/news/consumer-business/mountain-lion-p-47-found-dead-in-santa-monica-mountains-after-ingesting-rat-poison-nps/ |date=Apr 30, 2019 |first=Tracy |last=Bloom |work=KTLA}}
P-53: P-12's daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter who possibly mated with him
P-74: likely died in the Woolsey Fire, possibly with his untracked mother{{cite news |title=Woolsey fire likely killed young P-74 mountain lion |url=https://www.dailynews.com/2018/11/26/woolsey-fire-might-have-killed-young-p-74-mountain-lion/ |newspaper=Los Angeles Daily News |first=Martin |last=Wisckol |date=November 27, 2018}}
P-81: had physical abnormalities, including a kinked tail and one undescended testicle{{cite news |title=P-81 First Mountain Lion Found With Genetic Abnormalities In Santa Monica Mountains |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/81-first-mountain-lion-found-with-genetic-abnormalities-in-santa-monica-mountains/ |date=September 9, 2020 |work=CBS News}}
P-98: attacked a small child, the first verified occurrence of a mountain lion attacking a human in Los Angeles County in more than 25 years, and was subsequently killed by a wildlife officer{{cite news |title=Mountain lion killed after attacking 5-year-old boy in his front yard near Calabasas |url=https://ktla.com/news/local-news/mountain-lion-killed-after-attacking-5-year-old-boy-in-his-front-yard-near-calabasas/ |work=KTLA |first1=Nouran |last1=Salahieh |first2=Jennifer |last2=McGraw |date=August 28, 2021}}

=Surrounding areas=

File:P-64 taken 2018-05-22.jpg in front of the culvert he used to repeatedly cross US-101]]

There are additional mountain lions 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:

P-3 and P-4: daughter and mother who separately regularly crossed SR-118 between the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains. Either or both may have originated in the Santa Monicas
P-16: dominant male in the Los Padres National Forest near Lake Piru, just north of the Santa Susanas
P-32 and P-33: siblings who separately were the first two tracked mountain lions to disperse out of the Santa Monicas to the north{{cite news |title=Mountain lions are being killed on freeways and weakened by inbreeding. Researchers have a solution |url=https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-mountain-lion-freeway-bridge/ |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=May 16, 2018 |first=Joseph |last=Serna}}
P-41: first mountain lion tracked to the Verdugo Mountains{{cite news |title=Meet the Verdugo Mountains' very own mountain lion: P-41 |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-verdugo-puma-20150529-story.html |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=May 29, 2015 |first=Martha |last=Groves}}
P-63: repeatedly crossed US-101 using a method unknown to researchers{{cite news |title=3 mountain lion kittens born in Santa Monica Mountains |url=https://abc7.com/mountain-lion-kittens-born-santa-monica-mountains/6232176/ |work=ABC News |date=June 4, 2020}}
P-64: learned to use a culvert to safely and repeatedly cross US-101{{cite web |title=How the deaths of mountain lions have some worried about losing them entirely from the Santa Monicas |url=https://www.kclu.org/local-news/2023-06-23/how-the-deaths-of-mountain-lions-have-some-worried-about-losing-them-entirely-from-the-santa-monicas |publisher=KCLU |date=June 23, 2023}}
P-91 and P-92: siblings whose mother died when they were kittens and after an unsuccessful foster attempt were relocated to the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale, Arizona{{cite news |title=2 orphaned mountain lion kittens from Simi Hills sent to sanctuary after failed foster attempt |url=https://abc7.com/mountain-lion-kittens-lions-simi-hills-arizona-animal-sanctuary/6721707/ |work=ABC News |date=October 2, 2020}}
P-101 and P-103: Siblings who were relocated to the Orange County Zoo after being abandoned by their mother. Two additional siblings (P-100 and P-102) did not survive the abandonment{{cite news |title=The short, sad life of the mountain lion kitten known as P-100 |url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-12-10/opinion-the-short-sad-life-of-the-mountain-lion-kitten-known-p-100 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |first=Carla |last=Hall |date=December 10, 2021}}
P-106: has a kinked tail, possibly due to a genetic abnormality, despite living in the un-isolated Santa Susanas{{cite news |title=Mountain Lion Litter Born in Santa Monica Mountains |url=https://smmirror.com/2022/12/mountain-lion-litter-born-in-santa-monica-mountains/ |work=Santa Monica Mirror |date=December 9, 2022}}