The Canada Lynx, scientifically known as Lynx canadensis, is a species of lynx native to North America, encompassing regions in Canada and parts of the United States.
While the Canada Lynx typically has a light brownish-grey fur coat, individuals with black fur have been reported occasionally.
Until 2022, there were no photographs of these black-colored lynx, but a fortunate observer managed to capture some images that quickly went viral.
The animal was caught by a researcher at the University of Alberta, Canada. Thomas Jung, an employee of the Government of Yukon, recorded a video of the animal on his cell phone.
The discovery was documented in an article titled “Paint it black: first record of melanism in Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis),” published in the journal Mammalia.
The footage was taken in a rural residential neighborhood near the Yukon city of Whitehorse. In the video, the lynx can be seen resting at a distance of approximately 50 meters. Some people and a dog were nearby, and the lynx eventually retreated when the dog began barking.
In terms of behavior, the Canada Lynx is a solitary and secretive animal.
Experts on the animal confirmed that it was a Canada lynx, but could not make out too many distinctive features in the grainy video.
”It had a black coat containing whitish gray guard hairs throughout, as well as whitish gray hairs in the facial ruff and the rostrum and dorsal regions,” Jung reports.
Most lynx species share similar coat colors, with Canada lynx often having silvery gray coats in winter, which transition to reddish-brown in the summer.
This lynx in the video is considered extremely rare due to its wide range of coat colors. According to Jung, such variations are often adaptations that may be either advantageous (adaptive) or disadvantageous (maladaptive) for evolutionary purposes.
Scientists have yet to determine if melanism in any species if an advantage or disadvantage. Jung, however, believes that the trait in the lynx leads to a lack of necessary camouflage and is therefore maladaptive. Hunting in the winter, the animal would likely stand out in the snow with its darker hair.
