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Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Mama Mountain Lion and Her Three Kittens

On an unexpected cam, I found some wonderful footage of our mother mountain lion and her three kittens

First, you'll see the mother in darkness. I believe that she is staring toward where she either had just heard her prey or where a carcass was stashed. It was my lucky day because the carcass was close to my cam, and the lion family passed the cam many times.

In the next scene, in dim daylight, her kittens emerge from behind the cam. Notice how the second one places his paws exactly in the first one's paw prints, saving just a little bit of energy. One of them comes back to look for the third sibling who soon emerges from behind the cam. What amazing young kittens!

At about the 2 minute mark, a kitten appears from the right and sits to stare down at the area behind the cam. I suspect that his family was down there. He calls in a high pitched chirp and his mother answers from behind the cam. Be sure to have your sound on to hear their vocalizations.

The final scene is the best. Mom appears in front of the cam. She makes a "scrape" in the snow while staring down behind the cam. Then, one kitten joins her. The affection between them is so clear. Mom does both low pitched and high pitched vocalizations in this clip. Enjoy!

Here is the video:

16 comments:

  1. they are so darned cute.... but no pets... sigh :O)

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  2. What great footage you found of this big cat family. We love hearing the vocalizing.

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  3. That is spectacular footage, KB. Wow. And to think these behaviors happens all the time, invisible to us but for your wildlife cams. Thank you, yet again, for all the time and energy you put in on this project.

    Chris from Boise

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  4. Well that kitten sure comes when called. And the same with the cats in the bright Sunshine it looks so real that it felt like I could reach in and shake that tree and make the snow fall off. They are just so beautiful and so sweet

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  5. So wonderful and we love the bond they have!

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  6. Aw, what a lovely family they are. So beautiful.

    Have a fabulous day, my friend. Scritches to the pups. ♥

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  7. They are such beauties and so much fun to watch!

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  8. Awesome footage KB! I wonder in your time studying these lions if you are able to tell the difference in the sexes of the kittens? I was guessing that the last clip of Momma and kitten, if the kitten was a male. Just something about his stance and wide chest would make me wonder if he was a he. Any thoughts?

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    1. Unless I can see under their tails (like when they walk away from a camera), I cannot tell. You may be right! It sure is fun to guess. And adult males are more burly than females so your logic makes sense!

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  9. Beautiful creatures, and that bond is so special.

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  10. They are all so awesome! What a wonderful cat family. Hope they stay safe and live long lives.

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  11. Awesome! The kitten walking under its mother's belly was adorable.

    Take care, stay well.

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  12. That mama is so incredibly majestic and her kittens are just adorable.

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