Among the most fascinating mammals to roam the valley is the Canada lynx. As their name suggests, the wildcats are found across Canada and into Alaska. They are much rarer in the United States mainland, however. Image: Laurent Bartkowski

The Canada lynx can be easily recognized thanks to its distinctive long ear tufts and black-tipped tail. Since they generally live in cold climates, the animals have thick fur and large paws. And these features come in handy when hunting in the snow. The animals' main prey are snowshoe hares. Image: Facebook/Swan Valley Connections

However, they will feast on other small mammals if hare numbers are low. They tend to hunt at night, when they can use their heightened hearing and sight to pounce on unsuspecting prey. Image: Eric Bégin

Mating season for lynxes comes in the winter, and females have just one small litter a year. Their mom remains with her young for around 12 months, during which time she teaches them how to hunt. After that, they tend to lead a solitary existence, hunting and living alone. Image: Facebook/Swan Valley Connections

However, while the lynxes in Swan Valley might traverse the forest solo, they are not, strictly speaking, alone. Alongside other rare animals in the area, the lynxes have been part of an observation program for half a decade. During this time, researchers tracked the creatures' activities using cameras and radio collars. Image: Bernard Landgraf

The technology had provided wildlife experts with fascinating insights into the lives of lynxes and their four-legged neighbors. And one incident that they caught on camera was particularly valuable. That's because hardly anyone had previously captured footage of it happening in the wild. The clip in question came from one of Swan Valley Connections' special bait stations. Image: kdee64 (Keith Williams)

The organization established the stations in 2014 to collect genetic samples from carnivores without humans having to touch them. Moreover, since then they've had other unintended benefits. Image: Denis-Carl Robidoux

On this occasion, which took place in 2016, cameras at the station had picked up a passing Canada lynx. Coming to a stand-still right in front of the device, the big cat let out an unusual call. According to the video's description, this was a rare example of a lynx vocalization. Image: Cloudtail the Snow Leopard

The strange noise sounded more like a bark than anything normally associated with a cat – big or small. Some people refer to the sound as a scream or a yowl. Moreover, those few lucky enough to have heard the vocalization in person have called it nerve-wracking and spine-tingling. Image: Sarah A.

With that said, the calls caused nothing but delight when the team at Swan Valley Connections first heard them. In fact, they were so happy with their video that they decided to share it online. Image: Eric Kilby

"Rare footage of a Canada lynx vocalizing in the wild," read the accompanying caption. "This footage was captured this winter as Swan Valley Connections, the Blackfoot Challenge, and the Forest Service work together to monitor rare carnivores for the Southwestern Crown Collaborative. BE SURE TO TURN VOLUME UP!"

Image: Facebook/Swan Valley Connections