The Santa Monica Mountains announced the addition of a new bobcat to its decades-long study last Thursday, Feb. 7, on social media.
The addition, B363, is one of 363 total bobcats in the study as well as the seventh one to join the study this season.
According to the SMM National Recreation Area website, the group first started tracking the animal in 1996 “making it one of the longest bobcat studies ever.”
It’s not uncommon for Malibuites to catch a glimpse of the cats. They can be identified by their short tail, which measures at about nine inches lengthwise.
“In Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, bobcats weigh about 20 lbs, average about 30 inches in body length, and can stand almost 18 inches high,” the website describes.
To read more about the study and bobcats in particular, visit nps.gov/samo/learn/nature/scienceresearch.htm.