Footage filmed from the scenic Santa Monica Mountains shows the moment biologists entered the den of two newborn mountain lions – and instead or roars, were met with purrs and growls that were more precious than threatening.
The clip, shared to social media this month by the Santa Monica Mountains National Park Service (NPS), shows the two cubs – a boy and girl then less than a month old – giving their best efforts to intimidate the intruding scientists.
The result is an up-close, rare look at the juvenile carnivores as they purr and ‘roar’ at the camera – all at the biologists’ behest.
The cute clip has since garnered hundreds of thousands of views, and has even been re-shared by The US Department of the Interior.
In an accompanying caption, park officials revealed they snagged the footage after sneaking into the lions’ den while their mom was away hunting – a practice that sees them assess the cubs’ health before tagging their ears with uniquely numbered tags.
Footage filmed from the scenic Santa Monica Mountains shows the moment biologists entered the den of two newborn mountain lions – and instead or roars, were met with purrs and growls that were more precious than threatening
The result is an up-close, rare look at the juvenile carnivores as they purr and ‘roar’ at the camera – all at the biologists’ behest
Posters also commented on the vocalizations the newborns were emanating – with one of the siblings even letting out a purr, while the other seems to attempt a roar.
Officials instructed watchers of the video, posted to Instagram on August 4, to ‘Turn up the volume – it’s the weekend!’
They then specified: ‘And we literally want you to turn up the volume – for real.
‘The vocalizations from these mountain lion kittens are rad.’
Officials went on to describe how they came across the critters, who in a few years will grow to be at least seven feet.
They also revealed the names of the young lions, though the scientific nomenclature used was markedly less cute than the animals themselves.
‘Introducing female kitten, P-116, and male kitten, P-117,’ they wrote, adding that they had been tracking the cubs’ mother, pegged as P-106, for some time.
Fortunately for the scientists, the lioness – estimated to be about six years old – was not present. In fact, they specifically waited for her to leave thanks to a tracking device on the animal’s color, allowing them the opportunity to see the wildcats.
Posters also commented on the vocalizations the newborns were emanating – with one of the siblings even letting out a cute roar
At the same time, its sibling let out a stream of purrs, and got surprisingly close to the filming scientists, who work for the Santa Monica Mountains National Park Service (NPS)
Officials instructed watchers of the video, posted to Instagram on August 4, to ‘Turn up the volume – it’s the weekend!’
The cute clip has since garnered hundreds of thousands of views, and has been re-shared by The US Department of the Interior
Commenters, meanwhile, seemed to relish in the cubs’ attempt to ward off the intruding scientists – and their cute attempts to come off as ferocious
They added that the mother lion birthed the siblings sometime in May, and that the footage was filmed a few weeks later, when they were about 24 days old.
‘This is the 26th litter of kittens National Park Service biologists have marked at the den site,’ park officials explained in the caption.
‘Each visit to a den by a biologist occurs while the mother is away hunting for food, feeding, or resting.
‘A biologist will track her movements via telemetry while others on the team approach the den area.
‘Once the den is found, the researchers will conduct a general health assessment of the kittens a short distance away and place them back when finished. This typically takes less than an hour.’
In this case, scientists wrote, officials first determined the sex of each kitten, before taking various measurements including weight, and biological samples.
At that point, they placed ‘one uniquely numbered and colored ear tag in each kitten.’
They added their mother birthed them sometime in May, and that the footage was filmed a few weeks later, when they were still about 24 days old
The tag, officials explained, helps identify them in the future with remote cameras and when recaptured for the placement of a radio collar.
Officials added that they have been adhering to the educational practice since 2002, studying mountain lions in and around the Santa Monica Mountains to determine how they survive in a somewhat ‘fragmented and urbanized environment,’ set just a few miles from the city for which it is named.
Commenters, meanwhile, seemed to relish in the cubs’ attempt to ward off the intruding scientists – and their cute attempts to come off as ferocious.
‘Big cat purr in a tiny body,’ one wrote.
Another noted: ‘Their little soon to be dangerous baby hisses are precious.’
