P-1 (mountain lion)
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 P-1 in 2002 | |
| Other names |
|
|---|---|
| Species | Cougar (Puma concolor) |
| Sex | Male |
| Born | 1996 or 1997 |
| Died | 2009 (presumed) |
| Residence | Santa Monica Mountains |
| Mates | P-2, P-6, and at least one other |
| Offspring | 22 including P-5, P-6, P-7, P-8, P-9, P-10, P-11, P-13, P-14, P-15, P-20, P-22, and P-27 |
| Weight | 150 lb (68 kg) |
P-1 (1996 or 1997 – 2009?) was a wild mountain lion who resided in and was the dominant male in the Santa Monica Mountains. He was also the first animal GPS-tracked in a 20+ year, 100+ animal study in the area.[1] The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing was built in response to the inbreeding documented regarding P-1 and other mountain lions in the study.
P-1, the dominant male mountain lion of the Santa Monica Mountains during his lifetime, was captured and outfitted with a GPS tracker in 2002. He was estimated to be five years old at the time[1] and weighed 150 pounds (68 kg).[2] He was captured four additional times between 2002 and 2006.[3]
P-1 was alive until at least 2009, when his tracking collar came off in what appeared to be a fight, possibly with P-12, a male mountain lion who entered the Santa Monica Mountains in February of that year.[4][5] P-1 is presumed to have died, if not from the fight then due his age, as mountain lions generally do not survive beyond 13 years in the wild.[1]
During his lifetime, P-1 was sometimes referred to as "king of the mountains."[6]
Family
P-1 sired 22 cubs during his lifetime, of which all the males but one were killed by him or others, a common scenario amongst mountain lions in limited space, in this case caused by U.S. 101 cutting off the Santa Monica Mountains from additional wilderness in the area.[5] The one male who survived, P-22, did so by escaping across U.S. 101 and into Griffith Park.[7]
For years, P-1 had two mates, P-2 and another, until he killed P-2 when she attempted to protect their offspring, P-5, P-6, P-7, and P-8, from him. P-9 and another male were also the offspring of P-1 and P-2, but from a previous litter. P-11, P-14, P-15, P-20, and P-22 were the offspring of P-1 and his other unidentified mate.[8]
P-1 also mated with his daughter, P-6, multiple times and killed another daughter, P-7, for unknown reasons.[3][5] P-1 and P-6 sired P-10, P-13, and two others in one litter[8] and P-27 in another.[3]