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Look Out, P-22! There's A New Big Kitty In The City

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com)  —  Is Los Angeles big enough for two big male cats?

Look out, P-22. The National Park Service says it has identified a new male mountain lion living in the city.

They're calling the adult cougar P-41.

This cougar lives in the Verdugo Mountains above Glendale.

The area is about 19 square miles, and most mountain lions need about 250 miles to roam.

Scientists told KCAL9's Jennifer Kastner it's the first time a big cat was captured in such a small, isolated area.

The P stands for puma, and he's the 41st to be collared in a local study.

National Park Service's Kate Kuykendall says he was spotted about three weeks ago deep within the range. The service captured him and took genetic samples.

He was outfitted with GPS and released.

Experts are curious to watch his every movement. For one thing, they want to see if he'll stay in the Verdugo Mountains.

"Or whether he'll be crossing the 210 Freeway and also using the San Gabriel Mountains as part of his territory," Kuykendall said.

p-41 is the latest cougar to be tracked.

P-22 has lived in Griffith Park for more than three years. Experts believe he came from the Santa Monica Mountains.

Scientists believe there may be a significant genetic differentiation between any mountain lions found in the Verdugo Mountains and mountain lions found in the Santa Monica area.

There's still no evidence of any movement between those ranges.

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