By: Lindsay Butler
Photo: David Lawton
If you’ve spent any amount of time in the Whistler Blackcomb area, chances are you’ve seen countless bears roaming around and/or sacrificed a sandwich to feed the Whiskey Jacks while waiting in the lift lines.
It is, however, very unlikely that you have seen any of the following creatures that call the mountain home.
The first is the bobcat, or lynx, I’m not really sure how you tell the difference but apparently they are two different kinds of cats. The bobcat is primarily nocturnal and is rarely seen in the wild, but there have been a few recent exceptions. The above video showcases a bobcat (or lynx?) crossing the finish area of the men’s downhill skiing run during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler.
Photo: David Lawton
The next is a bird you may have heard while skiing or boarding the lower halves of Whistler or Blackcomb during the spring. They make this crazy low whooping noise, it’s bizarre. I have only once had the opportunity to see one of these ridiculous looking things while boarding just left of the Catskinner chair on Blackcomb. They’re called Blue Grouse and apparently they’re attracted to red plastic.
Photo: Richard Dumoulin
The last guy is called a pika; they’re freaking adorable and I’m pretty damn sure that they’re what Pikachu is named after. They are actually part of the rabbit family but look more like mice than rabbits. The fact that they are small and well camouflaged makes them rather difficult to spot.
bobcat is a type of lynx.
you forgot the main one as well whorey marmots. thats how whistler got its name
True, very true
bobcat and lynx are different species but both belong to the lynx family and both live around the valley tho you are more likely to see a bobcat. And marmots hibernate all winter. You might also see hares, weasels, and ptarmigans on the hill.
Lynx are distinguished from bobcats by tufts of black hair at the tips of the ears
they are actually just full grown cats.