Rare lynx roaming Michigan woods puzzles wildlife experts

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WILD video: Watch lynxes scream at each other

A video of a mysterious feline traipsing through snowy woods in Lexington, Michigan, in February captivated locals who pondered what the animal could possibly be.

Monique Touchette-Soper, whose son, Hunter, caught a six-second video of the big cat, guessed it was likely a lynx or bobcat the family spotted in their backyard on Feb. 16. After days of speculation, it looks like the family finally got its answer.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently confirmed the animal was, in fact, an extremely rare lynx. But wildlife officials now have questions of their own.

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"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 Michigan DNR told WDIV-TV.

A big cat spotted in Lexington, Michigan, was recently identified as a rare lynx. (Courtesy Hunter Soper)

Bobcats often get mistaken for lynx, but there are distinct differences between the two, the agency explains.

"Lynx tail tip is all black and bobcats have black on the top and white on the bottom of the tail tip. Lynx have longer back legs, giving them a stooped appearance. Bobcat ear tufts are usually shorter than an inch, but lynx tufts are often longer than an inch. Lynx have larger paws that act like snowshoes to hunt prey in deep snow," the Michigan DNR described in a previous post online.

An average lynx grows between 2.5 to 4 feet long and has paws that measure roughly 3.7 inches wide and 4.5 inches long, Michigan State University's Natural Features Inventory states on its website, noting the creature is listed as endangered in the state.

According to the school, there have only been three documented lynx sightings since 2003 — with the most recent recorded in Chippewa County in 2010.

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Touchette-Soper was shocked to discover the big cat was a lynx.

"My husband [Steve] has hunted countless hours on our property and he has never seen anything like that," she told the Times Herald.

She posted her son's video footage of the lynx on Facebook and was surprised by the interest. The video has been viewed more than 106,000 times as of Tuesday morning.

"Omg I didn’t know we had them ! Yikes," one Facebook user commented.

"Yes, that is a lynx. When I first saw the video I thought it was a bobcat. But you can tell that it is a lynx because of the points of hair on its ears, and the black on the end of its tail. Bobcat tails are longer and their ears do not have the sharp points on the ears," another observed.

"Sooooo jealous!!!! I wish I saw it!!!" a woman exclaimed.