ONE OF TWO cougar cubs found and photographed March 6 on private land in Ontonagon County. This is the first time cougar cubs have been verified in the state since the big cats were hunted out of existence in Michigan in the early 1900s, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. (Photo provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources)

MARQUETTE — Cougar cubs have been found living wild in Michigan for the first time in more than a century, state wildlife biologists announced Thursday.

Two cougar cubs were seen and photographed by a resident March 6 on private land in Ontonagon County in the western Upper Peninsula, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The spotted cubs are believed to be 7 to 9 weeks old.

This is the first time cougar cubs have been verified since the big cats were hunted out of existence in Michigan in the early 1900s, said Brian Roell, large carnivore specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Roell, a wildlife biologist for 26 years, led the team that verified the cubs.

“It’s pretty exciting, considering this could be the first known cougar reproduction in modern times in the western Great Lakes states,” said Roell, referring to Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. “It really shows that we have a unique place in Michigan where someone has a chance to see a wolf, a moose and a cougar in the wild. It’s something that should be celebrated, that we have the habitat to support an elusive animal like this.”

But the DNR announcement came with a more worrisome note: The cubs were without their mother. Cougar cubs are highly dependent on their mothers, often staying with them for the first two years of life, the DNR states.

The cubs have not been seen again since March 6. “Those young cougars are very vulnerable right now,” Roell said. “We don’t know where they are or if they’re even alive. Mother Nature can be very cruel.”

Although cougars are native to Michigan, most of them now appear to be transient animals, dispersing into Michigan from Western states. The DNR has verified 132 adult cougar reports, Roell said, but DNA testing has confirmed only male cougars to date.

Sightings can be logged in the DNR’s Eyes in the Field reporting system.

Roell stressed that cougars are on the list of endangered mammals in Michigan, meaning it’s illegal to hunt or harass them, including trying to locate their den. It’s also illegal to trespass on private property, he noted.

For the latest information on cougars, including the DNR’s cougar sightings photo page, go to Michigan.gov/Cougar.