Archive for the ‘National Recreation Area’ Tag
These fabulous photo trap photos are from the Facebook page for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
New photos of P-19 and her two nearly-grown kittens, P-32 and P-33, feeding on a deer carcass (WARNING: graphic photos). Kittens normally stay with their mother until they are about one to one and a half years old. One of the siblings, P-34, had already dispersed and it appears that these kittens may have also left their mom since the photos were taken in mid-February.
This is P-19’s second litter and we’ve been tracking all three kittens since they were four weeks old. Since we started studying these animals in 2002, we have not tracked any male mountain lions that have successfully dispersed out of the Santa Monica Mountains. Photos taken via remote camera on the western end of the Santa Monica Mountains, near the L.A. and Ventura County line.
– Ranger Kate
P-33 (female). Interestingly, P-33 came to the kill site first, alone. She fed by herself for about an hour before her mom and brother showed up.
P-33 (female). She looks younger and more fluffy in this photo than the others (or at least that’s my non-scientific observation!).
Sniff, sniff. A little curiosity about the camera by P-32 (male).
Photo bomb by Mom!
P-33 (female). Though she is not wearing a GPS collar in this photo, she was captured in mid-February and outfitted with a special collar for sub-adult lions, which has an automatic drop-off mechanism as the cat grows larger. For some time, our biologists thought that P-33 may not have survived since she was not seen in some of the remote camera photos we picked up of her mom and other siblings. Maybe she was just camera shy, because here she is at age 15 months looking healthy and strong.
Mom!
That’s Mom in the foreground and P-33 (female) behind her (note the ear tags).
Can you spot all three mountain lions in this photo? In addition to the mom and brother in the foreground, you can make out P-33 lounging and digesting her meal in the background.
In this photo, Mom (P-19) has the mouthful of food on the left and P-32 (male) is on the right. P-32 was just collared in December of 2014 — a collar specially made for sub-adult mountain lions that automatically drops off as they grow larger.
Mountain lion tongues are specially adapted and covered in tiny papillae, which are small, backward curving spines that help remove hair from the hide and scrape meat from the bones. They also help with personal grooming! P-33 (female).
Notice how P-33 turns her head to the side while she bites through the deer hide? She is using her carnassial teeth, which are modified molars and premolars that act as shears to cut through the tough hide and meat. These sharp teeth are excellent at cutting and tearing flesh. Cats do not chew their food, so they actually use these carnassial teeth to tear and cut their meat up into smaller pieces to swallow whole.
P-33 (female) ripping at the skin to get to the meat. Mountain lions feed on deer by entering the abdominal cavity first and eating the insides, such as the liver and the heart.
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Wikipedia: Cougar
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Grand Teton National Park. Photo by Christina Adele Warburg. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 2/4/15.
Sunset illuminates Horseshoe Bend in Arizona. Part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Horseshoe Bend is a stunning natural wonder created by the meandering Colorado River. Every time you visit, you’re guaranteed to see something new. The colors of the rocks change throughout the day as the shadows move in and out of the canyons. Photo by Sylvia Zarco. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 2/15/15.
A pink sunset at Zion National Park. Photo by Scotty Perkins. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 2/21/15.
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Beauty found in tragedy:
While no one really knows the origin of the Whiskeytown name, local folklore tells of a miner by the name of Billie Peterson who had a mishap in the 1850’s. While hauling supplies back to his mine, the pack on his mule’s back came loose and a whiskey barrel went tumbling down the hillside, breaking on the rocks below and spilling its contents into the creek. From this christening came the name Whiskey Creek, and the small settlement that established itself next to the waterway became known as Whiskeytown.
Known for the sapphire-blue waters of its lake, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area in Northern California has more to offer visitors. This 39,000-acre recreation area is also home to pristine mountains, 70 miles of hiking trails and stunning waterfalls — like Boulder Creek Falls pictured here. Photo by Jesse Barden. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 10/14/14.
I admit it: I’m a sucker for a star filter. But the photograph is spectacular, yes?
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Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
Whiskeytown Marinas
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At first glance, this looks like a scary place for a hike. But look again. Photographer Darrell Staggs took this photo in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area near the Arizona/Utah Border. Here’s what he had to say about it. “This canyon housed a pool of water that was sheltered from any wind, making it a perfect mirror for the canyon walls lit by the late afternoon sun. The sun was rapidly descending towards the horizon, and lighting was changing every minute. At this time of day, you can sit in a single spot and take an ever-changing set of images of the same subject. Not all spectacular shots are obvious.” Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 5/2/14.
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