This all occurs over a period of about eight to 10 years. When hares are preyed on less due to lower lynx numbers, the population increases again, thus re-starting the cycle. When hare populations are high, lynx have lots to eat - but then the high numbers of lynx cause hare populations to crash, consequently leading to a crash in lynx populations. Of particular interest to us is hunting behaviour.Ĭanada lynx and the snowshoe hare populations follow a cycle of population booms and busts. Together with GPS tracking devices, these “ biologging technologies” provide unprecedented insight into the complex behaviours of these cats. In addition to audio recorders, we also attached accelerometers – small devices that measure activity over time like you would find in a FitBit. But by recording multiple lynx, we could collect information 24 hours a day, while we warmed our feet by a wood stove in a rustic cabin. Previously, to know that a single kill had been made often required a full day of intensive snowshoeing and tracking during the short winter days in the Yukon. After using various methods of data processing, we were able to identify kills by Canada lynx with 87 per cent accuracy - an impressive feat. Over the five years of our study in the Yukon’s Kluane region, we collected over 14,000 hours of audio recordings from 26 individual lynx. Recording and analyzing the sounds of lynx revealed new information about their behaviour. After multiple failed attempts and some clever solutions, we figured out how to safely attach a small microphone to our lynx collars - and it opened a whole new world. In our case, we wanted to delve deeper into the secret lives of this mysterious cat and record their soundscapes. Although GPS tracking of wildlife is not new, it is typically only used to monitor movement behaviour of wildlife. In a recently published research study, we unlocked a new and effective way to monitor the behaviour of one of the most elusive predators in the boreal forest: the Canada lynx. Not only are ecosystems incredibly complex, behaviours are driven by various internal and external factors and the simple observation of behaviour is an eternal problem.Īs wildlife ecologists, we know that when we observe wildlife, we cannot know what effect our presence has on the behaviour of our subject - not to mention the difficulties of observing animals in the wild, including those which roam across vast forested landscapes. Wildlife ecologists study what drives animal behaviour, and trying to figure it out is tricky. University of Alberta and University of Guelph provide funding as members of The Conversation CA-FR. University of Guelph and University of Alberta provide funding as founding partners of The Conversation CA. For this research, Emily was affiliated with McGill University and the University of Alberta. Permission was granted by the Champagne and Aishihik First Nation to conduct research within their homeland in the Yukon Territory. Garfield Weston Foundation, and the Northern Scientific Training Program.

Allyson currently works in partnership with the University of Guelph and Nature United.Įmily Studd receives funding from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the W. Garfield Weston Foundation, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Northern Scientific Training Program. This research was not possible without permission from Champagne and Aishihik First Nation and Kluane First Nation complete this work within their traditional territories, and the support of the Yukon Government.įor the research herein, Allyson Menzies received funding from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC Vanier Scholarships Program and CREATE program), the W. Garfield Weston Foundation Fellowship in Northern Conservation. Rachael Derbyshire receives funding from the NSERC Canadian Graduate Scholarship fund, the Northern Scientific Training Program, and the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada's W. Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Wildlife Ecology, University of Alberta Postdoctoral Fellow, Wildlife Biology, University of Guelph

Lynx kitten sounds