An animal caught on video in Michigan earlier this month was a rare lynx, the DNR confirmed Thursday.
Monique Touchette-Soper of Lexington, Michigan captured the animal walking through woods near her home earlier this month.
The Michigan DNR's experts looked at the video last week and said they were convinced it was a lynx, and not a bobcat.
On Thursday, the DNR said they have confirmed it was indeed a lynx.
"On Tuesday of this week we just verified the location that was claimed as the filming location was accurate. What we can’t verify is how the lynx came to be there -- was it a wild lynx traveling on its own, an escaped captive animal or some other scenario," the DNR said in an email to Local 4.
The lynx is a medium-sized cat 2.5 to 4 feet long with girzzled, silvery-gray fur, prominent, long black ear tufts (2 inches long), and a short stubby tail that is completely black at the tip.
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Tracks are large, averaging 3.7 inches wide and 4.5 inches long for front paws and 3 x 3.1 inches for rear paws. Pads are usually round and unlobed; unlike canids (dogs), all felid (cat) tracks generally have no claw marks.
According to Michigan State University, lynx sightings have only been confirmed three times in Michigan since 2003. The lynx is classified as a federally threatened species.