A trail camera in Grand Marais, Minnesota, has captured two elusive Canada lynx in a noisy woodland showdown.
The footage was recorded in the fall of 2024, but the local Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center has only just released the footage. At first, a single lynx wanders along the trail, moving in and out of the frame. Moments later, a second lynx appears. The tension quickly ramps up as the newcomer creeps closer and then launches itself toward the original lynx.
At this point, you might expect a brawl to break out between the two animals. Instead of pouncing and clawing, the cats opt for a vocal sparring match. Noses pointed at one another, with one just off camera, the forest fills with their eerie calls. They growl, hiss, and make otherworldly yowls at each other.
After a few tense minutes, one of the lynx disappears, still growling at a distance. The other briefly assesses the area, then calmly walks away back into the forest.
Bonnie Shudy, the Chik-Wauk campus director, has said both lynx are “regulars” around the museum, often caught on their trail camera. The exact number of lynx in Minnesota is uncertain, but as of 2022, the estimate was between 100 and 300.
The reason this number is so hard to figure out is that the big cats avoid humans. This is why the trail cameras have been so useful. They provide a real window into the movements, behavior, and communication between these usually solitary animals.
