Overview
- Project Lince (Life Lynx Connect) identified the animal as Satureja, a female born in 2021 and tracked since birth in the mountains of Jaén.
- Program coordinators say the white coat does not match leucism or albinism and likely reflects a reversible loss of certain pigments, particularly those tied to pheomelanin.
- Technicians report normal behavior and breeding success, and authorities are withholding the exact location to prevent disturbance or poaching.
- Laboratory analyses are pending to pinpoint triggers such as contaminants or physiological stress, with a prior Andalusian case documented to have reverted to normal coloration.
- The sighting followed months of camera-trap work by photographer Ángel Hidalgo and comes as the species continues its recovery, with about 2,401 lynx counted in 2024.