March 1 (UPI) -- The Michigan Department of Natural Resources confirmed an animal spotted wandering in the woods was a rare lynx.
The DNR said officials examined a video recorded in February by Monique Touchette-Soper of Lexington, who spotted the feline wandering in a wooded area near her home.
The department said experts confirmed the animal in the video was a lynx, and not a more common bobcat.
"On Tuesday of this week we just verified the location that was claimed as the filming location was accurate. What we can't verify is how the lynx came to be there -- was it a wild lynx traveling on its own, an escaped captive animal or some other scenario," the DNR said in a statement provided to WDIV-TV.
Michigan State University lists only three confirmed lynx sightings in Michigan since 2003. The animals are listed as threatened by the federal government.