Black Canada Lynx Caught on Camera For The First Time, And There's Video

Our lives have changed a lot due to the fact that we always have a camera to hand to capture special occasions and strange events.

Thomas Jung, a wildlife Biologist with the Government of Whitehorse's Department of Environment, saw a sight he had never seen before.

He was able to get his phone out and film it, giving the world a good look at a black coated Canada lynx.

The fur on these big cats is usually silvery gray in the winter and reddish brown in the summer. Experts are interested in the appearance of a black Canadian lynx.

Jung states in his paper that there are only a few records of coat color polymorphisms.

The adaptive significance of melanism is unknown but the loss of camouflage is likely maladaptive.

Jung theorizes that there aren't a lot of cats with this color fur around because it's hard to blend in when hunting snowshoe hare.

Jung was able to see the animal from a distance of around 50 meters. In the 30-second clip, you can hear a dog barking, which could be a sign that the big cat was making noise.

It hasn't been possible to take a detailed look at the coat color beyond a few quick observations. Several experts have confirmed that the creature in the video is a Canada lynx.

There was a black coat with gray guard hairs throughout, as well as gray hairs in the facial ruff and the rostrum.

You might get the chance to record footage of an animal that hasn't been seen before if you use your phone to take photos.

In the case of the Canada lynx, coat color is usually the same, but in other species, such as bears and wolves, it can be vastly different. It's thought that color is related to how animals hunt for food or even provide advantages in cooling down or warming up.

Camouflage and colors that blend in with the background can be used to sneak up on prey. It is possible for bright colors to attract mates or put off predatory animals. Human activity can cause color changes as well.

Predicting the way a species might respond to changes in their environment is dependent on keeping track of the range of colors.

The added disadvantage of lost camouflage to melanistic lynx hunting hares during winter would likely result in them being maladaptive.

The research has appeared in a journal.