A researcher in Canada has reported a discovery aptly timed for spooky season: a black-coated Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis). This seems to be the primary recorded sighting of a lynx with this specific coloring.

The encounter with the black lynx truly occurred in August 2020, when Thomas Jung, a wildlife biologist and professor on the University of Alberta, noticed the bizarre cat in a rural space close to the city of Whitehorse, Yukon. He managed to get a 30-second video of it on his cellphone from about 50 meters away. The lynx appeared to be comparatively comfy within the presence of a number of individuals and a canine, however finally left—maybe due to the canine’s barking. Jung, additionally a authorities worker for the territory of Yukon, stated that he then reached out to a number of lynx specialists, who all agreed that he had seen the actual deal.

Jung’s findings, together with the photographs captured on video, had been published this month within the journal Mammalia. The video could be viewed on YouTube.

Domestic cats are recognized for a wide selection of coat colours, however the identical isn’t true for cats within the lynx household. Canada lynx often have a silver or grayish coat within the winter, which might change to a reddish brown coat dotted by black spots in the course of the summer time. So the black search for this lynx, also called melanism, is so uncommon that that is apparently the primary occasion documented on this species. This grainy high quality of the video sadly doesn’t enable for a really detailed exploration of the lynx’s distinctive coat, however the cat did seem to have some whitish grey hairs alongside its outer coat and facial ruff.

It’s additionally not clear whether or not its coloring is a bonus or drawback to its survival, although Jung speculates that it’s probably the latter. That’s as a result of Canada lynx usually hunt snowshoe hares. These hares do wish to frequent burned-down forests, the place the cat’s black coat won’t stick out in the course of the hotter months of the 12 months. “However, dark-coloured Canada lynx are likely far less camouflaged to snowshoe hare during winter when the ground is covered with deep snow,” Jung wrote. “Hence, melanistic individuals would be at a distinct disadvantage when hunting hares during winter.”

Though their numbers are secure within the Northern components of Canada and Alaska, Canada lynx populations are disappearing elsewhere within the U.S. and southern Canada. Human encroachment and the consequences of local weather change, corresponding to extra frequent and fiercer wildfires, are anticipated to additional threaten the species.