Black bobcat snared in N.B.
What a beautiful hide, I hope he does well with it.
https://i.cbc.ca/1.3913763.148289616...ack-bobcat.jpg
Quote:
A New Brunswick trapper received an unexpected gift on Christmas Day — a rare melanistic bobcat.
Studies show there has only been one other black bobcat caught in Canada.
"I thought it was a house cat," said Oswald McFadden, who has run the same trapline for the last decade.
"When I saw the tail I knew it wasn't a house cat. Then I looked at the ears, I knew it was definitely a bobcat."
Melanism is a genetic trait that displays a black-coloured pigment and can often be found in species like squirrels and jaguars.
Much like jaguars, this bobcat's spots and markings can still be seen in bright lights.
"It's a soft and beautiful coat," said McFadden.
"I've been in these woods all my life and never seen anything like this."
According to the 1995 paper, A Melanistic Bobcat from Outside Florida, written by Jay Tischendorf and Donald McAlpine, the only other case of melanism found in a Canadian bobcat was dated in November 1983.
The black male bobcat was trapped near Henry Lake and is now mounted at the New Brunswick Museum.
https://longroom.com/discussion/257807/black-bobcat-snared-in-n-b-only-12th-ever-recorded-in-north-america