Young Naturalists
Hidden Tracks
Canada lynx are among the most mysterious residents of Minnesota's northern forests.
Christine Petersen
Minnesota’s north woods are true wilderness, with dense forests, boggy wetlands, and deep winter snows that have always made it hard for people to enter. But animals know the way, and this realm is full of life. Day and night, through summer’s heat and winter’s chill, wildlife follow hidden trails through thick stands of trees, around moss-covered boulders, over fallen logs, and across frozen creeks.
Visit the north woods and you might be lucky enough to see a moose, black bear, or porcupine. Perhaps you’ll even catch the distant song of howling wolves. But there is another creature wandering these trails, one so rare that few people ever catch a glimpse of it: the Canada lynx.
True to their name, most of these graceful wild cats live in the remote forests of Canada or Alaska. Small populations are also found in several northern states—including Minnesota—and high in the mountains of some western states.
Until about 20 years ago, any lynx spotted in Minnesota were assumed to be visitors, not residents. Now, biologists are revealing a different story: Canada lynx are a small but important part of the wild community in our state.
