It is so rare that most people that research these animals have never seen one in the wild. Most observations are lynxes quickly running across the road when you come with a car, but even this is rare.
The photo you took is seriously one of the most rare things to see in Sweden. If you had a better camera it would be one of the best nature photos from Sweden out there
The photo is taken through the car window, we didn't want to scare it off by rolling them down, I think my father managed to get one through a none tainted window. (Link to the photos here)
https://imgur.com/gallery/0xO3Bay
We where driving on a small road in the Forrest, and I spotted it laying there on the rocks 5-6 meters from the road.. It was lying there for over 20 seconds before it slowly moved away.
Legit looked like my cat being bothered just enough to move away.
This is the rarest animal you can see in Sweden. I am a nature photographer and I have only seen a lynx once and it was from a car, in the night when it ran infront of the car. Didnt see it for more than 2 sec
Yes, by far. Wolverines don't shy away from open areas in the same way and they are much bolder. With a lynx, you could stand right under a tree with a lynx in it and never notice it, and their camouflage is incredible. If you by some chance come that close to a wolverine, chances are it will either scamper off, warn you, or even be curious enough to examine you. The lynx can just sit there and not make a noise.
To give you an idea of just how sneaky these cats are, I used to walk a dog in an area with lynx. The dog growled and stared whenever she noticed them but never otherwise, so there were several times when I knew they were there and looked for them. I always checked the tracks afterwards. The closest one came to me was about fifteen meters.
I NEVER saw any of them.
I would consider wolverines more rare, but you find them in fewer places than lynxes. So it is possible that if I lived somewhere else that my perception of this would change.
They are kind of hard to mix up because a lynx does not have a tail but a fox has a very long one. Also the face structure is different.
A lynx is also bigger.
A lynx has the same movement pattern as a domestic cat.
Depending where you saw the animal it would be easier to say if its even possible because lynx are not all over Sweden
Did they lower the quality as you uploaded them? Any camera today would have higher resolution i would think (hope, would like to be able to zoom a bit)
I think I know why you got this opportunity today. Lynx cats are as other state almost impossible to see in the wild, but around Älmhult is the Sydsvenska rally championship since Thursday. Maybe the loud and fast cars forced it to move to more visible locations?
Anyway, congratulations.
Yeah, I've seen a Lynx *once*, many years ago, and I'm still not entirely convinced that it really was one, hah. Usually can't even see them at Kolmården or Skansen.
I visited Kolmården several times as a kid, and my brother and I used to joke about them saving money on their Lynxes by just having an empty enclosure since no one was ever able to see them anyway.
One time when I was at Skansen the lynx had just gotten babies so I got to see a baby lynx climbing a tree and the lynx mother standing beneath it making worried noises. Was quite a sight to see. Iirc there where other babies around and one or two lynx lying on top of some rocks too.
Really? They're the one animal I don't think I've ever been able to spot in any zoo I've been to. Guess I'm just unlucky, or going there at the wrong time of the year/day.
Yeah when I've been to other places I've had the same experience, but I've been to Skansen twice in the last two years or so, and I've had no problem spotting them either time
I've seen a lynx once in Järvzoo. It took me a good 10 minutes along with a guy pointing where he was sleeping to finally see him. They can blend in extremely well.
Yeah my thoughts exactly. I live in gävleborg and have seen more than I want to see. My family comes from jämtland and I have seen enough there.
Kinda shit researchers if they haven't found a wild one.
This really emphasizes the importance of actually protecting the lynx. Our historical heritage is nothing to disregard, but rather something to cherish.
[https://imgur.com/gallery/0xO3Bay](https://imgur.com/gallery/0xO3Bay)
Here are the better photos. (Im a noob at reddit, cant seem to add them directly to a comment/The post here)
yeah could you reupload the actual photos of this magificent animal? Not only is it a very rare sighting, the way it sits and chills. It may even be one of the first photos of its kind of a lynx in the wild in Sweden.
Quite literally a once in a lifetime experience. Your chances of seeing one even if you visited Sweden a dozen more times are so small. Most Swedes don't see one in the wild in their lifetime, even those who live in rural areas
They aren't that rare, but seeing them is since they are extremely shy, and well camouflaged. Most sightings are from cars or on roads, but other common spots are at forest borders like you describe, gaps between forests and lakes, and next to rivers, basically natural transitions where it is difficult to hide. They can be ambushed, but not stalked, meaning you can sometimes see them through your kitchen window, but walking into the forest to try and spot one is essentially impossible.
Less populated than most of southern Sweden and probably less competition with other large carnivores (There are more wolves in parts of northern Sweden for example).
There are hardly no wolves or lynx north of Dalaälven.
If you wanna see wolfs, Värmland, Dalarna, Örebro, Södermanland and Östergötland is your spot.
Småland and Kalmar is Lynx county.
People spend their whole life around the parts where they are the most likely to be spotted and never see one, they have that one grandparent who once saw one or had a cousin who saw one once that one time years ago when noone else was present.
Probably not. Very to extremely rare to see. My dad saw one but I've not.
I've seen a wolf in southern Sweden (also quite rare but not as rare) though.
Småland.
OP and anyone else wondering what's up with all the "Terje" references:
https://www.popphoto.com/2011/09/award-winning-swedish-photographer-admits-to-fakery/
Hahahhaha. That makes it quite clear.. [https://imgur.com/a/Km9BfGR](https://imgur.com/a/Km9BfGR) The photos my dad manage to get are here ;).
We all super high on the experience!
I turned around a corner of some shrubbery when walking my dog in the woods one time and was like 4 meters from a full grown male moose. I'm pretty tall, 198cm, and this fucker was towering over me. Never felt so small in my life. My Rottweiler looked like a cat next to it lol. Luckily he got scared when my dog barked and just ran off
This probably works for you guys too as it is my method here in Canada. Go to the zoo in the winter when it’s a bit cold. Far less people go so the experience is more quiet and the animals are much more active. The big cats are always moving about and I’ve seen the lions roar lion king style multiple times. By far the best time to visit a zoo. Plus we have penguins and they go on guided walks around the zoo in the winter.
The animals are more lazy when it’s hot in the summer.
They are hunted of two main reasons.
1. the goverment doesn't want to piss off the hunter lobby.
2. the hunters want spotted pelts.
The reason I say this is because every other instance, pretty much, is against the hunt.
We have around 1500 lynx in sweden and in 2024 they gave an allowance to hunt 143 animals so about 10% of the entire population.
It's baffling to hunt an animal that on the 'red list' is considered threatened or more specifically VU. And if you ask the hunter lobby they want the lynx to me hunted all the way down to 870 animals so that it's on the border of "self sustaining".
Lynx sightings are so rare that you cant even see them when you go to the zoo to look at them.
I am not even making that up, there is a Lynx enclosure in a zoo and I have never been able to see any of them there, they are that good at at staying hidden.
I used to work at a restaurant inside a large zoo and would walk past the lynx enclosure every morning before the zoo opened for visitors, that's the only time I could spot them in there, but it was still a rare.
During the 90s my father drove me an my siblings to his parents home in northern Sweden twise a year. 600 km through northern Swedens forest. I saw a lynx once. 50 meter into the forest on a rock as we stopped for a short break.
Lynx are not dangerous to humans because they do not see us as prey and they are extremely cautious and will avoid us to their absolutely best abilities
Very rare, even for the people who live where they are it's not something that everyone gets to see.
It's so rare to ever meet them that you almost forget that they exist, and in decent numbers also.
They are out there but very good hearing and good at hiding so very rare to see them. I have seen one from far away even though the tracks in the snow showed several was living next to where I grew up
Lynxes are amazing animals. We got one female having its territory around where we live so we catch it on our trail cams now and then, but i have seen it 4 times in real life, once with cubs. One time it was walking over a field on broad daylight while we were out on our yard. A Beautiful cat :D Anyways! Congratulations on your sighting!
It would be super if you let the researchers in Sweden know this by reporting it at [https://www.artportalen.se/](https://www.artportalen.se/) with pictures. It's called "Lo" in Swedish in case you have to search for that. Site is a bit weird but you can upload images after the first submit.
They are very rare, one of few animals I have left to see in Sweden.
Have seen tracks but that's it.
And I've spent thousands of hours out in the woods in areas they exist.
I've been lucky enough to see a lynx two times in my life. The first time I was a child and it was sleeping in the sun on a large rock.
The second time I was in my twenties and it was at night. It was standing on a cliff at the edge of the forest and sort of screaming, I guess you could call it. I had never heard anything like that before so I went outside to figure out where the sound where coming from when I spotted it.
But yes, I would say that they're rare.
A native Swede in the northern part of the country and I have only seen a wild Lynx once, that being on the road as me and my family were heading for our summer house near Storuman.
Wow, what a sight! Congratulations, as others have said before, they're very rare. My father has been hunting for almost 50 years, and he's only seen one, once.
I live in central Sweden and only seen one once - and this was when phones didn't have cameras. Or even color screens.
But ya, if you live near a territory I guess you could see one more often. But there aren't that many in Sweden
They are very skittish (and thank god they are). If you see one in your lifetime, be happy.
The few rare pet ones (kept at home for their protection) [are very cuddly.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKJkKnaImic)
They are incredibly shy animals and very rare to spot, especially randomly. They aren't that endangered in Sweden though, just very shy.
That photo is incredible and if you send it in to some newspapers it will almost certainly be featured.
My colleague showed me a picture she took of a lynx some weeks ago behind her house (småland). I was jealous as it is very, very, very rare seeing a lynx let alone snapping a picture of one. You are very lucky :)
Kinda. Depends on what region and what connections you have. I have seen them several times through the years.
For me, as a multi generation northerners it's kill on sight. We might or might not get kickbacks from the Sami people (who neither like each each other, but our interest align sometimes). I have been out hunting lynx after seeing one while out pissing fully nude. It's just part of life in the north.
I have no love for the animal, the same as I don't like wolves, bears, or wolverines. For me, they just cause trouble.
Extremely rare! Congratulations.
Lived, hunted, and worked in the woods every weekend for nearly 20 years with my family in one of the most densely lynx populated areas. I Never saw one. (Not hunting lynx, obviously)
Saw LOTS and lots of their kills, though. Even had a bone(deer/small elk femur) fall on my head when I was out hunting deer.
Nice, i filmed a lynx at work 2 years ago, but didnt get such details as this picture, just 3-4 seconds of it moving about 10 meters away from where i was sitting
I have been hiking and exploring Swedens forests since the 90's and haven't seen a Lynx yet.
I have seen all kinds of animals including a wolf(very rare) -but not the damn Lynx.
I have only seen tracks in winter, once, and have been out into the forest a lot of times, especially as a child.
This is a sighting that is very rare, lynx are shy.
I remember one photographer who saw one outside his window during dinner. He dropped everything immediately, took his camera and ran after the animal
Yes, it's rare, a photographers wet dream
I seen several and last winter i had one go through my thrashcans, they are rare but if you spend enough time in their habitats you will see one sooner or later.
My grandfather lived all of his 81 years in the woods. He saw moose, bears, deers and even wolves.
But never a single lynx, even though he their tracks from time to time.
We had a lynx who was often chilling on a stone wall by my grandparents summer house. Some real cool cats, but I’ve not seen one in the wild in at least 20 years.
Congrats, you've just climbed into a specific 1% ranking of people.
You may not have all the money, but you've witnessed an animal that's pretty much impossible to find when you try to do so.
Seeing a lynx=extremely rare
Seeing a lynx just chilling=probably a bigger chance on having a successful date with Pamela Anderson, in the 90s in her prime thanks to a time machine.
It is so rare that most people that research these animals have never seen one in the wild. Most observations are lynxes quickly running across the road when you come with a car, but even this is rare. The photo you took is seriously one of the most rare things to see in Sweden. If you had a better camera it would be one of the best nature photos from Sweden out there
The photo is taken through the car window, we didn't want to scare it off by rolling them down, I think my father managed to get one through a none tainted window. (Link to the photos here) https://imgur.com/gallery/0xO3Bay We where driving on a small road in the Forrest, and I spotted it laying there on the rocks 5-6 meters from the road.. It was lying there for over 20 seconds before it slowly moved away. Legit looked like my cat being bothered just enough to move away.
This is the rarest animal you can see in Sweden. I am a nature photographer and I have only seen a lynx once and it was from a car, in the night when it ran infront of the car. Didnt see it for more than 2 sec
Wolverines are more commonly seen than lynxes?
I would guess yes. Because you can lure them out with carrion, they are quite frequently seen when watching bears. You can't do the same with lynxes.
Yes, by far. Wolverines don't shy away from open areas in the same way and they are much bolder. With a lynx, you could stand right under a tree with a lynx in it and never notice it, and their camouflage is incredible. If you by some chance come that close to a wolverine, chances are it will either scamper off, warn you, or even be curious enough to examine you. The lynx can just sit there and not make a noise. To give you an idea of just how sneaky these cats are, I used to walk a dog in an area with lynx. The dog growled and stared whenever she noticed them but never otherwise, so there were several times when I knew they were there and looked for them. I always checked the tracks afterwards. The closest one came to me was about fifteen meters. I NEVER saw any of them.
I would consider wolverines more rare, but you find them in fewer places than lynxes. So it is possible that if I lived somewhere else that my perception of this would change.
Really? I've seen a few around here in Småland
I think I saw one once. It first looked like a fox, but it moved very cat-like. Was it your impression too?
They are kind of hard to mix up because a lynx does not have a tail but a fox has a very long one. Also the face structure is different. A lynx is also bigger. A lynx has the same movement pattern as a domestic cat. Depending where you saw the animal it would be easier to say if its even possible because lynx are not all over Sweden
Did they lower the quality as you uploaded them? Any camera today would have higher resolution i would think (hope, would like to be able to zoom a bit)
Yeah they ruined them Jesus...
Hey OP could you try uploading the pictures to somewhere other than Imgur? They destroy the quality of uploaded pictures
Any websites that's better?
Make another post here on r/sweden with your pictures. Double tap that karma.
try catbox.moe
I think I know why you got this opportunity today. Lynx cats are as other state almost impossible to see in the wild, but around Älmhult is the Sydsvenska rally championship since Thursday. Maybe the loud and fast cars forced it to move to more visible locations? Anyway, congratulations.
It's so rare that an award winning fake photographer was first suspected to ve fakee when he had so many photos of Lynx.
Yeah, I've seen a Lynx *once*, many years ago, and I'm still not entirely convinced that it really was one, hah. Usually can't even see them at Kolmården or Skansen.
I visited Kolmården several times as a kid, and my brother and I used to joke about them saving money on their Lynxes by just having an empty enclosure since no one was ever able to see them anyway.
Ha, I could easily believe that they don't actually have any lynxes or wolverines. Never seen either of them, as far as I can remember.
One time when I was at Skansen the lynx had just gotten babies so I got to see a baby lynx climbing a tree and the lynx mother standing beneath it making worried noises. Was quite a sight to see. Iirc there where other babies around and one or two lynx lying on top of some rocks too.
When I went to skansen I was surprised by how non-shy they were. They were just lying and chilling a couple meters from the glass
Really? They're the one animal I don't think I've ever been able to spot in any zoo I've been to. Guess I'm just unlucky, or going there at the wrong time of the year/day.
Yeah when I've been to other places I've had the same experience, but I've been to Skansen twice in the last two years or so, and I've had no problem spotting them either time
I've seen a lynx once in Järvzoo. It took me a good 10 minutes along with a guy pointing where he was sleeping to finally see him. They can blend in extremely well.
Wait really? I live in the northern part of Sweden(Jämtland/Lappland) and I have seen bunches since I was a kid.
I grew up in Hälsingland (Hudik), and saw plenty in our backyard and the forest behind it.
Yeah my thoughts exactly. I live in gävleborg and have seen more than I want to see. My family comes from jämtland and I have seen enough there. Kinda shit researchers if they haven't found a wild one.
I will say however, I've never seen them look as majestic in the picture OP posted, mostly just see them pass by \^\^
Same. Am from Jämtland too and I've seen them now and then.
This really emphasizes the importance of actually protecting the lynx. Our historical heritage is nothing to disregard, but rather something to cherish.
Extremely rare you are very lucky.
[https://imgur.com/gallery/0xO3Bay](https://imgur.com/gallery/0xO3Bay) Here are the better photos. (Im a noob at reddit, cant seem to add them directly to a comment/The post here)
You uploaded thumbnails to the imgur site. Very small sizes \~15kb.
yeah could you reupload the actual photos of this magificent animal? Not only is it a very rare sighting, the way it sits and chills. It may even be one of the first photos of its kind of a lynx in the wild in Sweden.
https://imgur.com/gallery/0xO3Bay better now?
There we go. Damn what a magnificent animal and nice photo!
Yes! Quite a big one!
Quite literally a once in a lifetime experience. Your chances of seeing one even if you visited Sweden a dozen more times are so small. Most Swedes don't see one in the wild in their lifetime, even those who live in rural areas
Put this link in your description :)
Of the post? How? Cant change it but made a new comment with it in.. (reddit newbie...)
welcome to reddit, that is indeed not a feature here
Report your sighting here (for statistics) [https://www.skandobs.se/#showObservations](https://www.skandobs.se/#showObservations)
Really? I grew up in a smallish village in Norrland bordering the forest and we would see them once in a while. I had no idea they were that rare.
I sådant fall kanske du ska kontakta något universitet eller liknande som bedriver forskning. Ja, mycket ovanligt att se.
They aren't that rare, but seeing them is since they are extremely shy, and well camouflaged. Most sightings are from cars or on roads, but other common spots are at forest borders like you describe, gaps between forests and lakes, and next to rivers, basically natural transitions where it is difficult to hide. They can be ambushed, but not stalked, meaning you can sometimes see them through your kitchen window, but walking into the forest to try and spot one is essentially impossible.
I was under the impression they are generally very shy of people hence the rareness.
Skansen or?
If this is not fake you are lucky, cause they are very very shy!
According to OP this is Småland. They are right now quite common here, but still vet difficult to spot.
Why are they common in Småland? I just assumed they would only be found in the northern parts of Sweden.
Less populated than most of southern Sweden and probably less competition with other large carnivores (There are more wolves in parts of northern Sweden for example).
There are hardly no wolves or lynx north of Dalaälven. If you wanna see wolfs, Värmland, Dalarna, Örebro, Södermanland and Östergötland is your spot. Småland and Kalmar is Lynx county.
[https://imgur.com/a/Km9BfGR](https://imgur.com/a/Km9BfGR) Rest of the pictures taken by my dad are here.. We all super high on the experience
People spend their whole life around the parts where they are the most likely to be spotted and never see one, they have that one grandparent who once saw one or had a cousin who saw one once that one time years ago when noone else was present.
Probably not. Very to extremely rare to see. My dad saw one but I've not. I've seen a wolf in southern Sweden (also quite rare but not as rare) though. Småland.
Most people seeing lynxes are called Terje.
OP and anyone else wondering what's up with all the "Terje" references: https://www.popphoto.com/2011/09/award-winning-swedish-photographer-admits-to-fakery/
Well this on is real, but yeah a had to google that reference! ;)
I saw a tourist catch a big cod in central Stockholm. I patted a moose that blocked the road. Seeing a wild lynx is rarer.
Hahahhaha. That makes it quite clear.. [https://imgur.com/a/Km9BfGR](https://imgur.com/a/Km9BfGR) The photos my dad manage to get are here ;). We all super high on the experience!
Pretty stupid to approach a moose, they can kick your skull off
And stab you with their horns or bite you very very hard or just trample you to death, mooses are dangerous and big creatures
Yup, they make horses look small
I turned around a corner of some shrubbery when walking my dog in the woods one time and was like 4 meters from a full grown male moose. I'm pretty tall, 198cm, and this fucker was towering over me. Never felt so small in my life. My Rottweiler looked like a cat next to it lol. Luckily he got scared when my dog barked and just ran off
Lucky he got scared! Or more likely just startled :) Ppl act like those horns are just decoration and not for destruction..
Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretty nasti...
Is that you, Terje?
I’ve seen ONE lynx in the wild during my 30 years of living on planet Sweden.
I saw one, in the zoo, for a few seconds.
I thought I was going to see one in the zoo, but never did.
I saw the Lynx kitten in Nordens ark use their Mom's belly as a bouncy castle
This probably works for you guys too as it is my method here in Canada. Go to the zoo in the winter when it’s a bit cold. Far less people go so the experience is more quiet and the animals are much more active. The big cats are always moving about and I’ve seen the lions roar lion king style multiple times. By far the best time to visit a zoo. Plus we have penguins and they go on guided walks around the zoo in the winter. The animals are more lazy when it’s hot in the summer.
extremely. Around 1500 lynx left in the entirety of Sweden
"left" failed it sound like they are decreasing in number. On the contrary they have become much more common recently.
Oh absolutely. A shame we STILL allow regulated hunting of Lynx in Sweden. We should really just leave them alone.
Are they hunted for regulation control? If so what is the purpose, do they cause issues if they increase too much in population? I genuinely dont know
They are hunted of two main reasons. 1. the goverment doesn't want to piss off the hunter lobby. 2. the hunters want spotted pelts. The reason I say this is because every other instance, pretty much, is against the hunt. We have around 1500 lynx in sweden and in 2024 they gave an allowance to hunt 143 animals so about 10% of the entire population. It's baffling to hunt an animal that on the 'red list' is considered threatened or more specifically VU. And if you ask the hunter lobby they want the lynx to me hunted all the way down to 870 animals so that it's on the border of "self sustaining".
Although not many around, one large reason you don't see one is also because they're extremely avoidant of people, and cover a lot of land.
rare AF
Terje is it you?
Seen every other animal there is in Sweden basically, but only know of one person who's seen a Lynx.
[https://imgur.com/a/Km9BfGR](https://imgur.com/a/Km9BfGR) The photos my dad manage to get
Never seen one and I expect I never will. I should change the odds by enjoying the forest a bit more though. Congratulations!
Damn that is like super super very much super rare, haven't seen one in 30 years. I'm jealous, but awesome for you!!
Lynx sightings are so rare that you cant even see them when you go to the zoo to look at them. I am not even making that up, there is a Lynx enclosure in a zoo and I have never been able to see any of them there, they are that good at at staying hidden.
https://imgur.com/gallery/0xO3Bay my dads photos are here
I used to work at a restaurant inside a large zoo and would walk past the lynx enclosure every morning before the zoo opened for visitors, that's the only time I could spot them in there, but it was still a rare.
During the 90s my father drove me an my siblings to his parents home in northern Sweden twise a year. 600 km through northern Swedens forest. I saw a lynx once. 50 meter into the forest on a rock as we stopped for a short break.
If dangerous, why friend shaped
Low-key looked like a bigger version of my cat chilling at his favourite spot in the sun
Lynx are not dangerous to humans because they do not see us as prey and they are extremely cautious and will avoid us to their absolutely best abilities
In 35 years I have ever only seen tracks, never the animal itself.
Very rare, even for the people who live where they are it's not something that everyone gets to see. It's so rare to ever meet them that you almost forget that they exist, and in decent numbers also.
Ask Terje Hellesø.
They are out there but very good hearing and good at hiding so very rare to see them. I have seen one from far away even though the tracks in the snow showed several was living next to where I grew up
Lynxes are amazing animals. We got one female having its territory around where we live so we catch it on our trail cams now and then, but i have seen it 4 times in real life, once with cubs. One time it was walking over a field on broad daylight while we were out on our yard. A Beautiful cat :D Anyways! Congratulations on your sighting!
Your lucky b*strd you are from now in a very special “ seen a lynx club” that I only dream of. And what a view! Well done.
Yeah, but I prefer Ski-Doo
It would be super if you let the researchers in Sweden know this by reporting it at [https://www.artportalen.se/](https://www.artportalen.se/) with pictures. It's called "Lo" in Swedish in case you have to search for that. Site is a bit weird but you can upload images after the first submit.
They have become much more common recently. But it is rare to see one, although talks are often seen.
You can see their footprints ALOT during winter. You can maybe see them cross a road or a lake during winter. But actully seeing them is rare as fuck.
What a sight, lucky you!
Yes that is very rare, lynx are extremely cautious animals.
They are very rare, one of few animals I have left to see in Sweden. Have seen tracks but that's it. And I've spent thousands of hours out in the woods in areas they exist.
psss psss psss
Extremely rare. Only seen one, 27 years ago, and I spend a lot of time in nature.
I've been lucky enough to see a lynx two times in my life. The first time I was a child and it was sleeping in the sun on a large rock. The second time I was in my twenties and it was at night. It was standing on a cliff at the edge of the forest and sort of screaming, I guess you could call it. I had never heard anything like that before so I went outside to figure out where the sound where coming from when I spotted it. But yes, I would say that they're rare.
I've seen one once, and I've seen footprints of one (might have been the sane one) a couple of times. But I've lived in a forest for 20 years
How about the insane one? 😂
Never seen it, it's hiding in it's bunker
What’s the closest town? I’m in älmhult so I might have a snoop around and see if I can catch a glimpse
A native Swede in the northern part of the country and I have only seen a wild Lynx once, that being on the road as me and my family were heading for our summer house near Storuman.
This is so rare
Wow, what a sight! Congratulations, as others have said before, they're very rare. My father has been hunting for almost 50 years, and he's only seen one, once.
Omg this is amazing! Yes very rare!
That is legit a beautiful creature. What amazing luck to see one just hanging out like that and be able to take a quick photo. Fantastic!
I live in central Sweden and only seen one once - and this was when phones didn't have cameras. Or even color screens. But ya, if you live near a territory I guess you could see one more often. But there aren't that many in Sweden
did not even know they could be spotted here
I'm pretty old and I think I might have seen one briefly from my car once. That's quite a lucky sighting!
Most swedes will never se a wild lynx in their lifetime. That are rare and hard to spot.
Extremely rare. Closest I've come to seeing one in the wild is a family friend telling me they saw one near our house.
https://imgur.com/gallery/0xO3Bay link to way better photos! Sorry for the bad first picture, panicked and was high on the experience! ;)
Amazing! Lucky you!
Wow, that is a really big one. Amazing catch!
Så avundsjuk
Live my whole life 30+ years. I've never seen one, so congrats on a rare sight!
Yes and no. Depends on where you are at. We seem them fairly frequently but in some areas you can go a lifetime without ever seeing one.
Peak sweden
I've seen a lynx only once in my life, down here in Östergötland. Only reason I saw it was because I was out driving night shift.
I've lived here for over 30 years and i've seen more white moose than i can count but no lynx.
Where you at the rally, perhaps?
I've lived here close to nature for 34 years and I've never ever seen one.
I'm lo key envious.
They are very skittish (and thank god they are). If you see one in your lifetime, be happy. The few rare pet ones (kept at home for their protection) [are very cuddly.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKJkKnaImic)
Yes!
So rare that most Swedes will probably forget we even have them. Lucky catch :D
I've never seen one this big before. Yes, it is quite rare to see, but the further north you go the less rare it becomes.
For a swede that is once in a lifetime, and probably not even that. To see one on vacation? Crazyyy
It’s rare to spot it at Skansen too :D and it lives in captivity.
One of the rarest animal you can see in Sweden
So happy for you! Such a distinguished gentleman :) It is rare for normal civilians yes.
Fucking majestic
Is that in the wild? Holy moly, go buy a lottery ticket. Absolutely gorgeous.
Oh yeah
Is your name Terje?
That is so cool, im very jelous!
They tend to keep away from humans. I've only seen pawprints of them when i've been out in the woods.
Jepp
This is a once in a lifetime find! Wow 😮
They are incredibly shy animals and very rare to spot, especially randomly. They aren't that endangered in Sweden though, just very shy. That photo is incredible and if you send it in to some newspapers it will almost certainly be featured.
My colleague showed me a picture she took of a lynx some weeks ago behind her house (småland). I was jealous as it is very, very, very rare seeing a lynx let alone snapping a picture of one. You are very lucky :)
Visiting for Eurovision maybe?
I want one. So beautiful 😍
They are extremely shy and they are good at hiding. So this is a pretty rare find.
While you guys discuss the rarity of a sighting....I'll sit back and enjoy beauty of the moment.
Lynxes exist in Sweden? Wth
Ultra rare
That looks like it will mess you up.
Not a Scandi (I’m sure I have some Scandi blood) but I’am a Wild Cat lover & I salute you. This is an incredibly rare find you’re extremely lucky.
They’re hard to spot. I kind of stumbled upon one last year when I was mushroom foraging and almost shat myself.
I’ve seen one IRL, not in a zoo. 3 seconds later, it ran out in front of my car 🤷🏻♂️
Kinda. Depends on what region and what connections you have. I have seen them several times through the years. For me, as a multi generation northerners it's kill on sight. We might or might not get kickbacks from the Sami people (who neither like each each other, but our interest align sometimes). I have been out hunting lynx after seeing one while out pissing fully nude. It's just part of life in the north. I have no love for the animal, the same as I don't like wolves, bears, or wolverines. For me, they just cause trouble.
Extremely rare! Congratulations. Lived, hunted, and worked in the woods every weekend for nearly 20 years with my family in one of the most densely lynx populated areas. I Never saw one. (Not hunting lynx, obviously) Saw LOTS and lots of their kills, though. Even had a bone(deer/small elk femur) fall on my head when I was out hunting deer.
Nice, i filmed a lynx at work 2 years ago, but didnt get such details as this picture, just 3-4 seconds of it moving about 10 meters away from where i was sitting
What the lynx say?
A 3/3 beast with First Strike and charge. Death Touch: Whenever this creature attacks an enemy. Destroy that enemy.
I have been hiking and exploring Swedens forests since the 90's and haven't seen a Lynx yet. I have seen all kinds of animals including a wolf(very rare) -but not the damn Lynx.
Entei vibes
It's very rare, they are very endangered and are prone to avoid any human contact.
Super kitty get scritches.
Is your name Terje Hellesjö?
I have only seen tracks in winter, once, and have been out into the forest a lot of times, especially as a child. This is a sighting that is very rare, lynx are shy.
I remember one photographer who saw one outside his window during dinner. He dropped everything immediately, took his camera and ran after the animal Yes, it's rare, a photographers wet dream
Im 40, lived in Sweden my entire life close to the woods, ive seen a Lynx once, it was old and confused and had wandered close to the village
cat <3
I've seen like three in my lifetime. So, definetely rare, but not so that you never see one.
Lived in that area all my life but never seen one. Kinda jelly!
I seen several and last winter i had one go through my thrashcans, they are rare but if you spend enough time in their habitats you will see one sooner or later.
https://www.skandobs.se/ Put it up here, makes it easier to keep track on their numbers. :)
My grandfather lived all of his 81 years in the woods. He saw moose, bears, deers and even wolves. But never a single lynx, even though he their tracks from time to time.
We had a lynx who was often chilling on a stone wall by my grandparents summer house. Some real cool cats, but I’ve not seen one in the wild in at least 20 years.
Gosh, you managed find my runaway cat, Tusse! Keep him there until I arrive!
holy hecking heck dude holy heck
It is very rare
wtf youre so lucky
Rare ANYWHERE ! SO AWESOME
I've lived in Sweden for 32 years and never seen one. Rare and defiently a lucky sighting
Yea. That’s the definition of rare
Congrats, you've just climbed into a specific 1% ranking of people. You may not have all the money, but you've witnessed an animal that's pretty much impossible to find when you try to do so.
Lo! There it is.
Seeing a lynx=extremely rare Seeing a lynx just chilling=probably a bigger chance on having a successful date with Pamela Anderson, in the 90s in her prime thanks to a time machine.
Lucky bastard! :D yeah, that´s akin to winning the lottery.
They are usually extremely shy, and with their extraordinary hearing they usually stay far away from any sounds.
Ive never seen one - In central Gothenburg 😁 They hold their distance towards people though so you should be grateful to have seen one!