Canadian Lynx in Banff

[Kybosh]

I think this is really great. I've personally never seen a lynx in person and likely never will. It's really a regal looking animal.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/al...899/story.html

[Bigtime]

That is one beautiful looking animal.

[Old Yeller]

Gorgeous animal... looks like it could really mess a person up if it was so inclined.

[malcolmk14]

31 pounds. That is a pretty big cat.

I had a house cat one time who was 21 pounds and lean. When he sprawled out on the floor he was the size of an eight year old.

[Northendzone]

very cool picture - always great to see pictures of animals using those overpasses.

anyone else click on the link about Paulina G wearing lingere to go out clubbing?

[chemgear]

It looked kinda "off" to me for some reason; something about the proportions of the body parts. Maybe I expected the head to be a little bigger or something but I assume it's also that I haven't seen many of these species before.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by chemgear

It looked kinda "off" to me for some reason; something about the proportions of the body parts. Maybe I expected the head to be a little bigger or something but I assume it's also that I haven't seen many of these species before.

As it says in the story, their feet act like snowshoes by dispersing their weight over a larger surface area.

That's probably why it looks out of proportion to you. Its feet are much larger relative to its body than other cats. Also, because of the climate they live in, they have a very thick coat, which will make its body look larger relative to its head.

[BurningYears]

Must of been shopped.

[undercoverbrother]

how long before a Japanese tourist tries to hug it?

[guzzy]

i have seen a lynx twice in Alberta.
I was at a shutdown at a gas plant in fox creek in 2005 and one crossed the road in front of me.

I did another plan shutdown near Mackay River in Ft Mac and one crossed in front of me on the plant road.
very cool animal


i still haven't seen a cougar in the wild - cue the cougar jokes

[troutman]

My dad went on a trapping trip this winter with a guide around Lesser Slave Lake. They snared a few Lynx, and trapped Martens and Fishers.

The Lynx eat mostly hares.

U of A Research:

http://www.ualberta.ca/~gyates/projectlynx/

The numbers of lynx and hare undergo multi-year fluctuations that have interested biologists for over a century. Why do lynx populations increase to record numbers all across Canada only to be followed by record lows 5 years later? The peaks in lynx abundance cycles occur roughly every 10 years - 9.63 years, according to timeseries analysis (Elton & Nicholson 1942)

[Superflyer]

Very cool animal. From the article I also want to say that I really like the under and overpasses for wildlife to cross.

[Ruttiger]

Originally Posted by chemgear

It looked kinda "off" to me for some reason; something about the proportions of the body parts. Maybe I expected the head to be a little bigger or something but I assume it's also that I haven't seen many of these species before.

Might have been cross-bred with a grizzly.

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by chemgear

It looked kinda "off" to me for some reason; something about the proportions of the body parts. Maybe I expected the head to be a little bigger or something but I assume it's also that I haven't seen many of these species before.

I had the good luck to actually see one of these things in the wild, walking on an oilfield road in NE BC. That was exactly my impression - something was really off about the thing. The proportions were totally out of whack when you compare them to other cats. The thing is the hind legs, which are much longer than the front ones. It makes the rear higher than it "should", and when it walks around it looks very awkward. My impression was that of a teenager not quite yet grown into it's body.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by troutman

My dad went on a trapping trip this winter with a guide around Lesser Slave Lake. They snared a few Lynx, and trapped Martens and Fishers.

WTH would your dad want to kill multiple lynxes for? Their fur? That seems so cruel.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by troutman

My dad went on a trapping trip this winter with a guide around Lesser Slave Lake. They snared a few Lynx, and trapped Martens and Fishers.

The Lynx eat mostly hares.

U of A Research:

http://www.ualberta.ca/~gyates/projectlynx/

The numbers of lynx and hare undergo multi-year fluctuations that have interested biologists for over a century. Why do lynx populations increase to record numbers all across Canada only to be followed by record lows 5 years later? The peaks in lynx abundance cycles occur roughly every 10 years - 9.63 years, according to timeseries analysis (Elton & Nicholson 1942)

I heard synthetics are a great alternative to killing something and throwing away it's meat.

[/anti-fur, trapping has been replaced by technology rant]

[Coys1882]

My dad had to shoot one that was getting into the chickens on our farm. We'd never seen one before and it was pretty amazing - I was really surprised by the size of its paws. They were like snowshoes. Shame it wouldn't just bugger off instead of coming back every night.

[Draug]

Four years ago, we were out snowmobiling down near Fernie. We were winding through the forest, up the mountain, and came across a Lynx. It was just watching us, from beside a huge a tree, about 10 meters away. We stopped, and watched back. It was curious, took us in for about a minute, then strolled off. It was a beautiful animal, and like noted above, it just floated on meters and meters of powder snow.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Sliver

WTH would your dad want to kill multiple lynxes for? Their fur? That seems so cruel.

I realize trapping seems cruel to this generation. My father was born in 1940 in the Ottawa Valley - trapping was a common way of life then. He actually paid his way through university by trapping beavers.

He has not trapped much since coming west in the 1960s - he has trapped the odd nuisance beaver on his ranch.

I think trapping is something he missed doing, and something he wanted to experience again. He showed me pictures from his trip - he explained that the traps are efficient in killing the animals instantly. Fur trapping used to be an important part of the economy, and exists to this day. He said they ate the meat from the trapped animals too. Trapping is not something I would enjoy doing, but I kind of understand why he enjoys it.

He did something like this:

http://www.abhunting.com/trapline_tours.asp

The trapping of lynx, marten, fisher, wolf, and wolverine has been a traditional pursuit in western Canada since the mid-1600s. It helped open the country to exploration and started the commerce that eventually built a nation. Trapping continues today in Alberta. Trapping is a viable use of a natural renewable resource. Each trapper is responsible for managing the furbearers on his or her trapping area. Trappers are concerned with the well-being of the resource and ensure the animals they harvest can easily be replaced by the naturally reproducing wild populations. Indeed, without concerned trappers in the field constantly assessing furbearer populations, we would not be aware of the status of many of these species of Alberta wildlife.

Spend time on a working trapline and experience the great Alberta wilderness. Travel the trapline in search of beaver, lynx, marten, fisher, wolf and wolverine. Learn the ancient art of trapping by participating in the day to day activities with the trapper, setting & checking traps and pelt preparation. Explore a remote Alberta trap line, there will be plenty of opportunity to trap numerous fur bearing mammals such as lynx, martin, fisher, beaver, wolverine and wolf. Book your next trapline adventure in Alberta Canada.

http://albertaregulations.ca/trappingregs/

http://albertaregulations.ca/trappingregs/quotas.htm

http://www.nafa.ca/wp-content/upload...2-21-WF-EN.pdf

Looks like lynx pelts sell for $250 to $425 on average. The top pelt fetched $1600.

[Sliver]

Well, killing and skinning an animal because you enjoy killing and skinning animals is hard to accept as a justification. Because we used to do that or well lots of other people like doing it, too are not very good reasons, either.

Edit: Okay the fact that they ate the meat does make it a lot more palatable. I'll drop it.