A family of mountain lions who live in a national park were caught on camera in extreme close up gnawing on a dead deer . The images showing kittens P-32 and P-33 , along with mother P-19 , were unveiled Wednesday on Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area 's Facebook page . The big cats were photographed tearing limbs , chomping and lapping up the bloody feast at the California park . First to arrive : Kitten P-33 is seen at the kill site . Her brother and mother reportedly arrived one hour later . Why hello there ! P-33 peers up at the sky while inside the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area . Chowing down : Kitten P-33 gnaws on the deer carcass at the California park in February . At the time the photos were taken , P-33 was 15 months old . Feast : P-33 digs into her prey . A park ranger has said the animal had to use her carnassial teeth to make cuts . A National Park Service Ranger , identified by KTLA as Kate Kuykendall , wrote on Facebook that a remote camera was used for the images . She said that the feline family was snapped close to the line that separates LA County from Ventura County in the Santa Monica Mountains . Kuykendall wrote : 'Kittens normally stay with their mother until they are about one to one and a half years old . 'One of the siblings , P-34 , had already dispersed and it appears that these kittens may have also left their mom since the photos were taken in mid-February . 'This is P-19 ’ s second litter and we 've been tracking all three kittens since they were four weeks old . Lapping it up : P-33 licked one of the deer 's leg during her meal . According to the National Park Service , mountain lions eat one deer weekly . Family meal : Mother P-19 ( left ) and her son P-32 ( right ) join in on the meal at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area . All together : The three mountain lions were caught together in remote camera images . 'Since we started studying these animals in 2002 , we have not tracked any male mountain lions that have successfully dispersed out of the Santa Monica Mountains . ' Kuykendall wrote online that P-19 and P-32 arrived at the kill site approximately one hour after P-33 . A caption for an image that showed kitten P-33 tearing the carcass said 'Mountain lions feed on deer by entering the abdominal cavity first and eating the insides , such as the liver and the heart . ' Kuykendall also explained on Facebook the mechanisms that allowed P-33 to chow down . She wrote 'Notice how P-33 turns her head to the side while she bites through the deer hide ? 'She is using her carnassial teeth , which are modified molars and premolars that act as shears to cut through the tough hide and meat . Mother and daughter : P-19 ( closest to the camera ) is seen with P-33 at the kill site . Approach : P-19 faces the camera - with meat left over from the deer carcass on the ground next to her . 'These sharp teeth are excellent at cutting and tearing flesh . 'Cats do not chew their food , so they actually use these carnassial teeth to tear and cut their meat up into smaller pieces to swallow whole . ' On its website , the National Park Service says 'mountain lions typically eat about one deer per week , along with other smaller prey , and the animals in the Santa Monica Mountains are no exception . ' Male and female mountain lions have general home ranges of approximately 200 and 75 square miles , respectively , according to the agency . The animals face threats that include roads and construction , as well as ingesting rat poisons , the National Park Service says . Information on visiting the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area can be found here . In the wild : Kitten P-33 is seen perched on rocks at the kill site . Out of the corner : Mother P-19 pokes her head out in the darkness . Youngster : Kitten P-32 was looking at the camera in this shot , a ranger with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area has said .
The family of mountain lions were photographed in mid-February in the Santa Monica Mountains . Kittens P-32 and P-33 , along with their mother P-19 , feasted on a dead deer . A remote camera was used for the images of the big cats .