The Missing Lynx

[Hummer]

.....has been found!


My friend and neighbor in Peaceful Valley sent me a photo he took yesterday of a lynx sunning himself on a rock just outside his cabin. We see bobcats there once in a while but I have yet to see a lynx.

Looks like one cool cat!

 

[idahofishnhunt]

Wow...that is a great picture! That looks really relaxing.

 

[pabearhunter]

Great picture.

 

[npaden]

Great picture and a beautiful cat, but are you sure it is a Lynx?

Looks like a very well furred out bobcat to me. The black and white on the tail and the ears are what has me thinking bobcat.

 

[skimerhorn]

That's awesome, I'd love to get one of them!

 

[Hummer]

Great picture and a beautiful cat, but are you sure it is a Lynx?

Looks like a very well furred out bobcat to me. The black and white on the tail and the ears are what has me thinking bobcat.

Yes, I believe the tail cinches it; a single black ring near the tip of the tail. Bobcats have several black rings running the length of the tail. I'm well familiar with that rock and that cat is quite a bit bigger than the bobcats my friend has photographed there. Longer ear tufts and bigger feet, too.

See: http://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/SOC-LynxSighting.aspx

 

[IrishRover]

That's a cool looking cat, with a bob tail!

 

[TheJason]

That is definitely a bobcat. The tell here is the tail. A lynx has a black tip with no white, i.e. that black goes all the way around the tip. Also, the feet would appear ridiculously large.

That is a GREAT photo though, and a very pretty cat.

 

[James Riley]

I'm going with Bob.

 

[sheff]

Looks like a bobcat to me.......

 

[Hummer]

That is definitely a bobcat. The tell here is the tail. A lynx has a black tip with no white, i.e. that black goes all the way around the tip. Also, the feet would appear ridiculously large.

That is a GREAT photo though, and a very pretty cat.

I appreciate the comments. I've never seen a lynx in the wild, and never photographed a bobcat. Now, I'm curious what the parks & wildlife folks will have to say.

 

[Festus]

Here's a bobcat from Virginia...
No stripes on the tail - very little coloring at all.
Looks very similar to your pic (but a lot smaller).
I think you have a large bobcat there. I hope I'm wrong, though.
Incredible frame worthy picture, either way! Awesome predators.

 

[elkantlers]

I have trapped for 20 years and That's definitely a bobcat.

Bobcat on top. Lynx on bottom.

.

 

[Gerald Martin]

I'm no cat expert, but I'm going with a bobcat as well. Totally cool picture though regardless of what it is.

 

[shoots-straight]

Bobcat, nice try though! Keep looking!:W:

 

[recon6036]

Yep, I'd say Bobcat, but either way, it's a great picture!!

 

[Hummer]

Here's a bobcat from Virginia...
No stripes on the tail - very little coloring at all.
Looks very similar to your pic (but a lot smaller).
I think you have a large bobcat there. I hope I'm wrong, though.
Incredible frame worthy picture, either way! Awesome predators.

I have trapped for 20 years and That's definitely a bobcat.

Bobcat on top. Lynx on bottom.

.

With the consensus opinion, I'm convinced it's a bobcat. Thanks for the comments and photos. It sure is a big healthy example and my friend described it as 3 feet in length. I know he's seen bobcats there on several occasions and we've both tracked them around the property. But, now I have to tactfully suggest his big furry is not a lynx.

While I expected lynx to more likely roam at higher elevation in a more remote area, the location is in a river valley of spruce-fir, willow and aspen at 8500 feet that has both snowshoe hare and mountain cottontail. It's in NW Boulder County ~4 miles from Rocky Mountain National Park.

So, the thread title remains true in that the lynx is still missing.....


A question for the trappers, what is the procedure when you capture a lynx in your state? I'd guess that there is no expectation to release an animal from a leghold trap as it might be injured from the trap and it could easily injure the trapper.

 

[shoots-straight]

A question for the trappers, what is the procedure when you capture a lynx in your state? I'd guess that there is no expectation to release an animal from a leghold trap as it might be injured from the trap and it could easily injure the trapper.

Just because an animal is caught in a leg hold trap doesn't mean it's going to have foot damage. If the trap is sized accordingly and one uses best trapping methods then the foot should be good to go on a release.

Most animals that are caught for relocation are caught in legholds. If the weather is really cold, then the foot might freeze because of lack of circulation.

catch poles are a must for getting a cat out of a trap.

 

[sbhooper]

That is a fantastic picture, but I have to agree with the bobcat consensus.

Hummer, animals that are released from traps are more concerned with escaping than attacking the trapper. It is not a real big concern. Foot-hold traps do not necessarily damage feet, although they can under certain circumstances.

 

[cornfed]

I've seen videos of trappers releasing mountain lions so I think a lynx would be no different.It would be a two man job though.