MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) – Officials have confirmed the presence of a Canada lynx in Vermont for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Wildlife biologists from Vermont and New Hampshire identified a set of lynx tracks in a state wildlife management area in Victory on Feb. 7. The Canada lynx is native to Vermont, but the population has always been small.

“It is great to see this once-native species again in Vermont,” said Paul Hamelin, a state wildlife biologist in St. Johnsbury. “There have been a few unconfirmed reports of lynx in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom in recent years, and we know they occur in Canada as well as in New Hampshire and Maine, so it wasn’t a big surprise to find the tracks of this animal.”

The Canada lynx is related to the bobcat but has larger ear tufts and facial ruffs on its cheeks.

Lynx also have longer legs and larger, heavily furred feet that make it easier for them to travel on snow.

The lynx is endangered in Vermont, and is federally listed as a threatened species.

Killing one is punishable by six months in jail and a $25,000 fine.

Vermont’s lynx population dropped by the mid-1800s, when only a quarter of the state was covered by forest, according to historic accounts.

Lynx prey on snow shoe hare, which can be found among young, low-growing spruce, balsam fir and cedar. That habitat limits how many lynx Vermont can support.

“We can’t expect Canada lynx to be abundant in Vermont, because the amount of suitable habitat is very limited as much of our forest is now growing older and less suitable for snowshoe hare as well as lynx,” Hamelin said.