Adorable moment newborn mountain lions attempt to roar at scientists in California after they enter their den

Footage filmed from the scenic Santa Monica Mountains shows the moment biologists entered the den of two newborn mountain lions — and instead they were met with purrs and growls that were more dear than menacing.

The clip, shared on social media this month by the Santa Monica Mountains National Park Service (NPS), shows the two cubs — a boy and a girl less than a month old — doing their utmost to fend off the intruding scientists. intimidate.

The result is a close-up, rare look at the young carnivores as they purr and ‘roar’ at the camera – all at the behest of the biologists.

The adorable clip has since been viewed hundreds of thousands of times and has even been re-shared by the US Department of the Interior.

In an accompanying caption, park officials revealed they hacked the footage after they snuck into the lion’s den while their mother was out hunting — a practice where they assess the cubs’ health before tagging their ears with uniquely numbered tags.

The result is a close-up, rare look at the young carnivores as they purr and ‘roar’ at the camera – all commissioned by the biologists

Posters also commented on the vocalizations emitted by the newborns — with one of the siblings even letting out a purr, while the other seemed to try to roar.

Officials instructed viewers of the video, which was posted to Instagram on Aug. 4, to “turn up the volume — it’s the weekend!”

They then specified, “And we literally want you to turn up the volume — we really do.

“The vocalizations of these mountain lion kittens are fantastic.”

Officials went on to describe how they encountered the critters, which will grow to be at least six feet long in a few years.

They also revealed the names of the young lions, although the scientific nomenclature used was clearly less adorable than the animals themselves.

“Introducing female kitten, P-116, and male kitten, P-117,” they wrote, adding that they had been following the cubs’ mother, paired as P-106, for some time.

Fortunately for the scientists, the lioness — estimated to be about six years old — was not present. They even specifically waited for her to leave thanks to a tracking device on the animal’s color, giving them a chance to see the feral cats.

Posters also commented on the vocalizations emitted by the newborns — with one of the siblings even letting out an adorable roar

At the same time, his sibling released a stream of spiders and came surprisingly close to the filming scientists, who work for the Santa Monica Mountains National Park Service (NPS).

Officials instructed viewers of the video, which was posted to Instagram on Aug. 4, to “turn up the volume — it’s the weekend!”

The adorable clip has since been viewed and re-shared hundreds of thousands of times by the US Department of the Interior

Commentators, meanwhile, seemed to enjoy the cubs’ attempt to fend off the intruding scientists — and their adorable attempts at appearing ferocious

They added that the mother lion gave birth to the siblings sometime in May and the footage was filmed a few weeks later, when they were about 24 days old.

“This is the 26th litter of kittens that National Park Service biologists have marked at the den location,” park officials explained in the caption.

“Any visit to a den by a biologist takes place while the mother is hunting for food, eating or resting.

“A biologist tracks her movements via telemetry as others on the team approach the den.

“Once the den is found, the researchers will conduct a general health assessment of the kittens at close range and return them when they are ready. This usually takes less than an hour.’

In this case, scientists wrote, officials first determined each kitten’s sex, before taking various measurements, including weight, and biological samples.

At that time, they placed “one uniquely numbered and colored ear tag in each kitten.”

They added that their mother gave birth to them sometime in May and the footage was filmed a few weeks later, when they were still around 24 days old.

The tag, officials explained, will help identify them with remote cameras in the future and when they are recaptured for fitting a radio collar.

Officials added that since 2002, they have adhered to educational practice, studying mountain lions in and around the Santa Monica Mountains to determine how they survive in a somewhat “fragmented and urbanized environment,” just a few miles from the city for which the is called.

Commentators, meanwhile, seemed to enjoy the cubs’ attempt to fend off the intruding scientists — and their adorable attempts at appearing ferocious.

“A big cat purrs in a small body,” one wrote.

Another commented, “Their little soon-to-be-dangerous baby hisses are precious.”