An epic feline frolic
25 Feb 2011 1 Comment
in Minnesota Trail Tags: lynx
This one’s all about the cat photos, folks. I ducked out of the Minnesota Lodge yesterday, coatless, for a few minutes before my bullsnake demo to see if the lynx were out. And I hit the jackpot. Sadly, not another human soul was right there, right then to savor the live performance.
I hadn’t seen the two lynx kittens in quite awhile, and since they must be at least ten months old now, I wasn’t sure how kittenish they’d still be. The answer: very, very kittenish. In describing their high-octane antics, I can’t resist narrating events from the kittens’ perspective. I may have taken creative liberties with the order of events as well.
“It started near the cave. See our mom lurking back there in the shadows? See me licking my own nose in the foreground?”
“I salute you…”
“… and you swipe at me!”
“I chase you from the cave…”
“Hey, mom! We found a tree!”
“I dare you to climb up here. Go on, try.”
“I might be losing control here, a little.”
“Ack! Someone get me down!”
“I think this tree is safer.”
Here, kitty, kitty
17 Oct 2010 2 Comments
in Minnesota Trail Tags: lynx
Big zoo news last week: The five-month-old lynx kittens are now out on exhibit! An e-mail from the zoo warned that these two sisters were very shy and hanging toward the back of the exhibit, but apparently the situation is evolving rapidly. My first stop at lynx-land revealed no cats at all (their exhibit is roomy and leafy and ideal for hiding in), but 45 minutes later I came back, just in case, and saw this:
The group of us oohing and aahing at the window included a hard-core cat lover who was pretty much beside herself with joy. One kitten must have heard her, or at least liked the warmth of her facial expression, leading to this little tableau:
Even as adults, lynx have oversized paw pads (though not as disproportionate as this youngster’s) to help them track their chief prey, snowshoe hares, across snowdrifts. They’re known for their ambush tactics, rather than chasing prowess, in catching their prey, and where no snowshoe hares live, you’re unlikely to see lynx, either. Some who think they see lynx, which max out around 30 pounds, are really seeing bobcats, which are only half as big and have smaller ear tufts, too. These kittens, while no longer tiny, are not quite bobcat-sized — perhaps only 10 pounds. For comparison purposes, here’s the adult male lynx seen pacing last summer:
The difference of shape strikes me more than the difference in size: He just LOOKS OLDER, somehow. At least for now, this fellow is out on view in the afternoon and the kittens and their mom are out in the morning. Come see them soon, Twin Citians: They grow up too fast.
