Officials plan to perform a necropsy on a young mountain lion found dead this weekend on Highway 101 near the site of a future wildlife crossing.

Biologists at the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area have studied mountain lions in the area since 2002 to see how they’re surviving in an increasingly urban area. Those efforts include outfitting some of the local cougars with GPS collars.

The exam and additional genetic testing will help scientists learn more about the male cougar, believed to be around 3 years old, likely struck and killed early Saturday. The California Highway Patrol found the cougar around 5 a.m. on the south side of the freeway near Agoura Hills, between the Chesebro Road and Liberty Canyon Road exits. The animal has since been transferred to the National Park Service.

This mountain lion had no collar, so little is known about its location prior to death, said Seth Riley, a National Park Service wildlife ecologist. But at that age, male mountain lions typically are trying to find a territory of their own.

“We’ve seen this over and over again with these young males,” Riley said.

Why build the crossing at that spot?

The small cougar population in the Santa Monicas faces steep odds, boxed in by development and highways. Those obstacles have led to inbreeding, low genetic diversity and lions killing each other.

Currently, getting hit by a vehicle is the No. 1 cause of death in the study, Riley said.

The lowest survival rates are in the young adult age group, the toughest time for the cougars, he said. All young males and roughly half of young females generally try to go somewhere else after leaving their mothers. Because of that, those are also the cougars most likely to use the crossing when it is complete.

The California Department of Transportation is building the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the eight-lane freeway near Liberty Canyon. The spot is one of few places left that has natural habitat on both sides of the 101.

Scientists have found that mountain lions and other animals approach both sides of the freeway but few attempt to cross it.

Will the wildlife crossing reduce road deaths?

Few mountain lions and other animals attempt to cross the busy, wide roadways, Riley said. The crossing will be critical to reconnecting the Santa Monicas to other areas.

Crossings can reduce collisions with wildlife but also add those connections and reduce isolation, experts say. One study showed that just one mountain lion crossing into the Santa Monicas every few years would help increase genetic diversity.

This young cougar likely would not have been hit at this location if the crossing was finished. But eliminating road mortality was not the goal of the wildlife bridge, Riley said.

The crossing will help, but its goal is to allow animals to move back and forth and increase genetic diversity, he said. The bridge is expected to help mountain lions get into the area and others, possibly like the one killed this weekend, to leave.

Officials say they hope to complete the crossing, which is designed to look like natural habitat, as early as late 2025 but have cautioned that is only an estimate.

Cheri Carlson covers the environment for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Mountain lion found dead on Highway 101 near future wildlife crossing