Smartphones have changed our lives in so many ways – not least, we always have a camera on hand to take pictures of special occasions, exotic events and maybe the occasional wildlife sighting.
Near the town of Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, Thomas Jung, a wildlife biologist with the Yukon Government Department of the Environment, saw a sight he had rarely seen before.
Luckily, he was able to quickly whip out his phone and snap a photo, giving the world a good look at the Canadian black lynx (Lynx canadensis).
The fur of these big cats is usually silvery gray in winter and dark reddish brown in summer. Therefore, the appearance of the black Canadian (or Melanie) lynx is of great interest to experts.
The Canadian black lynx has difficulty mating easily when hunting prey such as the snow hare (Lepus americanus).
Jung saw the animal from about 50 meters away. In the 30-second clip, you can also hear a dog barking that can cause the big cat to slowly move away from the stage.
Short vision means that no detailed study of the lynx’s coloration can be made other than a few quick observations. While the images are a bit shaky and choppy, many experts have confirmed that the creature is indeed a Canadian lynx.
“Its fur is black with grayish white hair throughout,” says Jung.
While fur color is not very different in the case of the Canadian lynx, color differences in other species, including bears and wolves, can be incredibly diverse. Like the Canadian lynx, color is believed to be related to how the animals hunt for food, and even provides an advantage during quiet periods and during preparation and warming up for hunting.
In the animal kingdom, camouflage and colors that blend in with the background or ocean can help sneak in the direction of prey (or avoid predators). Color changes can also occur due to human activity.
Tracking the possible range of colors in a mammalian group can be valuable in predicting how a species will respond to changes in its environment.
Publish research in Mammalia.
Source: Science Alert
Source: Arabic RT
