In February , another adult male was collared near Bettles. In May, he beachcombed south for miles, double-backed along the North Slope for miles to the Dalton Highway at the Sagavanirktok River, and then meandered southwest through the Brooks Range. Since October , he has taken a respite in a secluded stretch of the Killik River headwaters. Movements of telemetered Canada lynx across Alaska and northwestern Canada, We have recorded long distance dispersals for both young and old, male and female, with daily travel averaging 10 miles and up to 27 miles per day!
There appear to be no natural barriers to movement as lynx have trekked across the Brooks and Alaska ranges, and the Wrangell, Cassier and Mackenzie mountains while crossing the formidable waters of the Yukon, Tanana, Porcupine, Copper, Kuskokwim and Mackenzie rivers.
Collectively, this collared sample of Alaska lynx from four refuges and one park have traveled from the Chukchi Sea to British Columbia to the North Slope to the Yukon Delta, traversing through 20 conservation areas thus far. Hare populations are now decreasing across Alaska. In response, we expect more collared lynx will disperse in search of food across the landscape. As more than 1, lynx locations are downloaded daily, university, refuge and park biologists will look closely at these dispersal movement patterns in search of terrain that dispersing lynx prefer.
Identifying landscape corridors that link conservation units in Alaska and Canada will prove valuable in future land use planning. Want to learn more and see more stunning lynx photos? Wildlife biologist Mark Bertram and his team count on the curiosity of cats to live-trap lynx at the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge just north of Fairbanks.
We have no idea why. Mating occurs in March and early April, and kittens are born about 63 days later under a natural shelter such as a spruce felled by wind, a rock ledge, or a log jam.
Most litters contain two to four kittens, but sometimes as many as six are born and survive. At birth, lynx kittens resemble domestic cats and are buff colored with longitudinal running head to tail streaking on their backs. The kittens can open their eyes at about one month old and are weaned at about two to three months old. Kittens remain with their mother until late winter and acquire the hunting skills and knowledge necessary for their survival.
During the following breeding season, family units begin to break up. The production and survival of lynx kittens is strongly influence by changes in prey availability. When prey are abundant, a high percentage of 1-year old or older female lynx produce kittens, most of which survive.
When prey are scarce, very few yearling lynx breed, the number of breeding adults declines, and very few kittens survive until winter. The primary prey of lynx in most areas is the snowshoe hare, but when hares are scarce lynx consume other small prey such as grouse, ptarmigan, squirrels, and microtine rodents.
Lynx may also prey on caribou, Dall sheep, and foxes, especially during periods of snowshoe hare scarcity. Lynx travel and hunt at a walk most of the time and capture their prey with short bursts of speed. They often ambush hares and other small prey while bedded down near small game trails. Lynx are adept at climbing trees but hunt mainly on the ground, sometimes using tress as a refuge from larger predators, such as wolves.
An audio recorder in a lynx collar recorded continuous high quality audio, and this spectrogram graphically represents the audio. This shows a cat ambushing a hare. Courtesy Allyson Menzies. Because lynx are shy and unobtrusive animals, many people think they are scarce. Trends in lynx population numbers are strongly correlated with the cyclic trends in snowshoe hare numbers, but lag behind by years.
Lynx, like most cats, are very curious. Trappers often dangle something shiny from trees CD, aluminum foil, etc to lure lynx towards a trap. And while the populations of lynx in the wild tend to rely solely on wild hare, lynx in captivity tend to rely on horse meat as a staple portion of their diet. Expert Advice First Trip to Alaska? How to Plan and Book? What to Wear in Alaska? Which Departure Port? Cruise or Land Tour First?
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