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UBC student looking for lynx, bobcat pictures

UBC student asking Revelstoke residents to send recent pictures of bobcats or lynxs for project on mapping the habitats of both species.
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A researchers is looking for pictures of bobcats and lynxs in order to map their habitat.

A UBC student is asking Revelstoke residents to send him any recent pictures of bobcats or lynxs for a project on mapping project on the habitats of both species.

Lynx are found in boreal forests across Canada and Alaska, as well as in the mountain ranges extending south into Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. They have extremely long legs and large paws, making them well adapted to traveling in deep snow.

Bobcats, in contrast, are found in deserts and grasslands of the contiguous United States, as well as in southern Canada. They are heavier, have smaller feet and sink into snow.

TJ Gooliaff, a biologist in training at the UBC Okanagan campus, is hypothesizing that bobcats have moved northwards and into higher elevations due to climate change, which is leading to earlier springs and lower snow levels in western North America.

Gooliaff is looking for any kinds of photos from trail cameras to conventional pictures that should include as specific location information as possible, such as UTM or longitude/latitude coordinates. Barring that, any roads or landmark, nearest town or watershed or Management Unit would be appreciated.

"I am using photos of bobcats and lynx submitted by the public to help map the current provincial distribution of both species to determine if their ranges have shifted in response to climate change," he wrote in an e-mail.

He said the photos will be used for data only, and not to influence any management decisions regarding hunting or trapping.

Photos can be emailed to Gooliaff at: tj.gooliaff@ubc.ca.