Last spring, two tiny cougar cubs quietly made history in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and then seemed to vanish.

Now, new winter footage confirms they’re still roaming the woods, alongside an adult. Read on for the latest in this historic sighting.

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An adult cougar walks down a trail in the Upper Peninsula, followed by two cougar cubs on Dec. 6, 2025. The DNR verified this photo from a private trail camera by enhancing the image to verify the existence of the three cougars, including the cub (eyes visible), bringing up the rear. (USA Today Network)

By USA Today Network

Two cougar cubs spotted last spring in Ontonagon County were seen again this month, walking along a snowy trail with an adult cougar in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Specialists confirmed the pair of young cougars was the same cubs seen last spring; the first time cougars were known to have reproduced in Michigan in more than a century.

“This is a historic confirmation for Michigan since it is the first time in over 100 years that verified cougar reproduction has occurred east of the Mississippi River and possible even east of the Missouri River,” DNR large carnivore specialist Brian Roell said in a Dec. 18 press release.

Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources confirmed on Dec. 16 that footage of two juvenile cougars and one adult cougar shows the same cats seen in March 2025. The footage, captured by a private landowner’s trail camera, was taken on Saturday, Dec. 6, in central Ontonagon County, located in the western UP.

“The kittens’ chances of survival are actually pretty high because just like bears, cougars invest a lot of their energy into their young,” Roell said. “So these kittens will stay with their mom through this winter and possibly even into next winter. They already have a leg up, seeing as how they’ve been with her for a year now.”

When first seen in the spring, the mother was not spotted, leading wildlife officials to wonder whether the juvenile cats would survive.

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Karel Vega with a feature story from USA Today Network via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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