Trail camera captures rare glimpse of unusual species interaction: 'This is so funny'

Footage from an Ojai, California, neighborhood shows a skunk boldly chasing a mountain lion down the street on the morning of February 9, reported Outdoors.com.

What happened?

Susan Pellegrino Hornbeck shared the clip on YouTube and in the Trail Camera Photos and Videos Facebook group, where it quickly gained attention.

"I have several trail cameras set up on my street since we are a private dead end road," Hornbeck wrote.

"I get a lot of videos with wildlife but recently this Mountain Lion has been around. This is so funny because the skunk is chasing off this Mountain Lion."

The clip shows the cougar retreating as the much smaller skunk confidently struts after it. Whether this cat learned the hard way about a skunk's spray is anyone's guess, but the big predator was not sticking around to find out.

As funny as the moment is, it points to something more serious: Cougars are increasingly showing up in neighborhoods across California and other Western states.

Why is habitat loss for mountain lions concerning?

Mountain lions need a lot of room. A single adult can require 50 to 150 square miles of territory to roam, hunt, and find mates. As homes and highways have spread into wild areas, that space has been carved into disconnected pockets.

In California, cougar populations along the Southern and Central Coast are now at risk of dying out. In early 2026, the agency classified these groups as threatened after data showed declining genetic diversity and rising inbreeding.

Freeways act as walls that trap local populations in shrinking territory, and young cats looking for new home ranges often wander into neighborhoods or busy roads when they can't find a path through the wild.

What's being done about mountain lion habitat loss?

California is building the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over Highway 101 in Agoura Hills, just outside Los Angeles.

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The $90 million vegetated overpass, set to open in fall 2026, will be the largest structure of its kind in the world. It will connect the Santa Monica Mountains with ranges to the north, giving isolated cougars access to new territory and healthier genetic lines.

Ventura County has passed an ordinance protecting corridors that wildlife use to move between habitats, and groups like the National Wildlife Federation are working to preserve the paths these animals depend on.

If you live in an area where cougars have been spotted, keep outdoor trash secured, bring pet food inside at night, and install motion-activated lights to discourage wildlife from lingering near your home. Back broader conservation by supporting local land trusts and voicing support for wildlife corridor protections in your community.

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