LOS ANGELES—Scientists tracking two local mountain lion populations, one in the Santa Monica Mountains and another in the Santa Anas, have identified the first reproductive signs of inbreeding among these groups, which are cut off from breeding options by busy freeways. Led by the University of California–Los Angeles (UCLA), the study—which is available online and will be published in the January 2022 edition of the journal Theriogenology—reported that the animals averaged a 93 percent abnormal sperm rate, while some also displayed physical signs of inbreeding, like deformed tails or testicular defects. Researchers have long had genetic evidence of inbreeding, but the malformed sperm is the first evidence that inbreeding is manifesting in the reproductive system. “This is a serious problem for an animal that’s already endangered locally,” said the study’s lead author, Audra Huffmeyer, a National Geographic Explorer and a UCLA postdoctoral researcher who studies fertility in large cat species. “It’s quite severe.” Researchers said the results lend urgency to the …