Newton said he was very surprised that the lynx were so playful. Tell us about in the comments below. After he had accessed every angle that he could reach from inside the house, he decided that he had to try to get closer. And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: Tim Newton awoke on the morning of Tuesday, September 19, 2017 to an unfamiliar sound on the porch. They are usually spotted by those who are quiet and far out in the wilderness, not usually at a house near Alaska's largest city. They had seen bears on the porch before and moose in the yard, but this was different. Clean, well-organized, and professionally moderated, Alaska's List is classifieds done right! Footage shows Sara … But, local Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials say they’d like more evidence. After a few more minutes, the momma mewed again and all the kittens followed her into the forest, where they calmly disappeared. When he got the full family portrait, he realized there were seven adorable lynx kittens with the momma. Love Alaska? Two of the kittens realized he was a threat and bolted away from him, but the rest of the group just thought they were playing. An adorable home video shows two fervent felines mushing–a sport usually reserved for dogs–in their backyard in Anchorage, Alaska. Lynx are elusive creatures that hunt snowshoe hare and live in all of the forested regions of Alaska, all but the islands and Southeast. Then he saw the tell-tale black tufts on the ears and realized they were lynx. The three kittens played and posed for about 5 minutes and Tim got about 20 photos of the three kittens he saw. But these photos show that however wild, they are still playful cats. The kittens had very large paws with sharp claws, which lynx use to travel on top of the snow like snowshoes. We take in displaced kittens and their mothers and other cats and make sure they are altered. Thank you! He slowly cracked the window on the north facing side of the house and peeked through. She will teach them to hunt snowshoe hare, their primary food source, throughout the winter. The momma cat let out a short mew and then a longer one. Lynx are wildcats that grow up to 40 pounds and live in the forested areas of Alaska. This is the amazing story of this extremely rare sighting of a large lynx family. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. These awesome photos are the result of the lucky combination of a gifted photographer and a chance wildlife encounter. Something was making a strange flapping sound as it walked around. Accidental catch: A Petersburg trapper caught this mountain lion in a wolf snare on Kupreanof Island in December 1998. The male cat weighed about 160 pounds and measured seven and a half feet long. The kittens had very large paws with sharp claws, which lynx use to travel on top of the snow like snowshoes. A first he thought they were house cats, but they were a little too big. The kittens disappeared and he snuck around to the south side, where the curtains were already open, to try to see more. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! He headed out to the porch and snuck behind the bushes, hoping the lynx wouldn't see him. The litter will stay with the mother through the late winter or until they are ready to survive on their own. Even cats in Alaska like the snow. This photo was taken by a remotely triggered camera system just west of Yellowstone National Park in Southwestern Montana. Enjoy this story of a rare peek at the elusive lynx in Alaska. Seven new kittens and a fierce mother made a long visit to the back porch of his home in Flattop. Although it's unlikely a breeding population is established in Alaska, there's evidence the cats are making forays into the state. Alaska's List is a huge, online classifieds service, featuring cats and kittens being offered for sale by people throughout the Greatland and beyond. Lenny the cat survived what owner Torrie Ruhle believes was an attack by a wolverine around 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 10 2019 in the Elmore Road area of Anchorage. - and Vancouver Island has one of the highest densities of mountain lions in the world. Then he saw the tell-tale black tufts on the ears and realized they were lynx. Newton reported the grass below the edge of the deck started stirring "like Jurassic Park!" He was just waking up, trying to decipher what kind of animal had paws that would sound like velcro on the wooden deck. Have you ever seen a lynx? Lynx litters are usually 2-4 kittens, depending on the abundance of snowshoe hare. Do you think that its possible that this cat from Alaska wasn’t a tiger at all, but a closely related cat species instead? ... Shauna Lee said it could have been a really large domestic cat, like a Norwegian mountain cat. 2) There is possible “footage” of a big cat captured in Alaska called the “White Death”, which looks like a stripeless white tiger. Lynx are wildcats that grow up to 40 pounds and live in the forested areas of Alaska. Nocturnal visitor: Mountain lions range into Northern British Columbia, and there's evidence the cats sometimes make forays into Alaska. Enter your e-mail address for things to do, restaurants to try and much more! That's when he saw the momma lynx sitting in the grass in the yard. Board of Fisheries and Game: Actions & Activities, Alaska Resources Library and Information Services (ARLIS), About the Division of Commercial Fisheries, Western Alaska Salmon Stock Identification Program (WASSIP), Online General Season & Registration Permits, Subsistence and Personal Use Fishing Permits, CSIS – Community Subsistence Information System, The Technical Papers and Special Publications Series. Newton was hidden behind the screen door with the camera in front of his face. We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. He'd already taken over 200 photos and wanted to see if he could get some actual close-ups. A first he thought they were house cats, but they were a little too big. Get more stories delivered right to your email. For over 20 minutes, the lynx played on the porch. This is a list of all mammals currently found in the U.S. state of Alaska, whether resident or … Lynx mate in March and early April and give birth 63 days later. The kittens wandered back to the north side and he thought that the experience was over, and he felt lucky to have seen the lynx for much longer than ever before. Alaska Cat Adoption Team is a nonprofit, volunteer feline rescue in Southcentral Alaska serving Alaska at large. The momma lynx noticed him immediately and his clicking camera, but he kept his eyes hidden and she didn't seem to be alarmed. Usually they are photographed as stealthy, keen hunters stalking prey across the snow. The mom boldly led her babies up on the porch of the house. Newton took photos from both north and south, even running upstairs and getting overhead shots. It was thrilling when he realized the stir was a whole litter of kittens. Kittens open their eyes at one month old and are weaned at 2-3 months old. A litter of seven is rare indeed. The whole encounter was 40 minutes of candid wildlife photography of the secretive lynx. You can search ‘alaska white death’ on YouTube, they show a clear video of it. The cats are rare in northern British Columbia, but biologists estimate there are about 3,500 mountain lions in Southern B.C. The kittens heard the clicking of the camera and looked in his direction. Newton went back to the south side of the house for one last look at the kittens. An Anchorage photographer awoke to a sight that was both adorable and frightening: a whole family of lynx were on his back deck. 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