Bizarre Lynx Fight Sounds Like Ghost Cats in the Forest

If you have never heard the unearthly noise of Canada lynxes in the forest, check out this extraordinary YouTube clip. It sounds like a pair of domestic cats having a disagreement in a backyard—only much louder and spookier! Lynxes are usually secretive animals, so we have dug a little deeper to uncover what these two could be arguing about in such a public display!

Canada Lynx Habitats and Lifestyle

The confrontation between the two felines was captured near the Dinorwic Region of Ontario, where there is an established population of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis). Their habitat consists of mature boreal forest with dense undergrowth, but they can also be found in open forests, tundra, and rocky areas. In the clip, you can clearly see the characteristic tufts of long black hair on their ears and large furry paws. You can also see the ruff of fur surrounding their faces. These adaptations help the big cats survive in cold temperatures.

Canada lynx are solitary animals that spend most of their time hunting snowshoe hares, which make up the majority of their diet. However, they are known to be territorial. Female home ranges can overlap, but males have their own separate areas. They are secretive animals that keep away from each other. That is, until the mating season, when confrontations can arise!

Mating Behavior and Communication

Female lynxes enter estrus once a year, between February and April, and it lasts for one or two days. If a male lynx wants to mate with her, he will need to fend off other males. Evidence suggests that Canada lynx are polygynous: males may mate with multiple females, but each female typically mates with only one male per season. It is likely that there is a female nearby, and we are witnessing a territorial dispute over who will mate with her.

Both males are trying to assert their dominance and signal to the other to back off. Lynx use several communication methods, and you can see some of them on display in the clip. Visual communication is important, and body posturing and facial expressions can be used to indicate dominance. They also use the tufts of hair on their ears to signal dominance during aggressive encounters. In the video, they face each other directly and repeatedly dip their heads. However, it is the vocal calls that are most startling. Similar encounters have previously been recorded, often accompanied by swatting with the forelimbs, which we also observe in this clip. These felines cannot roar; instead, they meow and scream, much like a domestic cat. The effect is certainly scary!