It may be called the Canada lynx, but the wild feline with black tips on its tufted ears and tail has been recorded in Colorado since the nineteenth century.
If you encounter one, purring and yowling like a loud house cat, it may be dashing through the snow after its favorite meal, the snowshoe hare. In fact, as the population of hares rises and falls in ten-year cycles, so does the lynx’s. About a century ago, the lynx was not an unusual sight in Colorado, then its numbers decreased sharply. The state’s last known specimen was killed near Vail in 1973.
Biologists decided reintroduction was the only way to bring it back to Colorado, in the remote San Juan mountains. And though restoration has had some success, you might never see a Canada lynx in the wild. Even experienced hunters rarely encounter this secretive, nocturnal and beautiful cat.
About Colorado Postcards
Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado.
