CzechLynx: A Dataset for Individual Identification and Pose Estimation of the Eurasian Lynx
We introduce CzechLynx, the first large-scale, open-access dataset for individual identification, pose estimation, and instance segmentation of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). CzechLynx contains 39,760 camera trap images annotated with segmentation masks, identity labels, and 20-point skeletons and covers 319 unique individuals across 15 years of systematic monitoring in two geographically distinct regions: southwest Bohemia and the Western Carpathians. In addition to the real camera trap data, we provide a large complementary set of photorealistic synthetic images and a Unity-based generation pipeline with diffusion-based text-to-texture modeling, capable of producing arbitrarily large amounts of synthetic data spanning diverse environments, poses, and coat-pattern variations. To enable systematic testing across realistic ecological scenarios, we define three complementary evaluation protocols: (i) geo-aware, (ii) time-aware open-set, and (iii) time-aware closed-set, covering cross-regional and long-term monitoring settings. With the provided resources, CzechLynx offers a unique, flexible benchmark for robust evaluation of computer vision and machine learning models across realistic ecological scenarios.
Authors
- Miroslav Jiřík (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8002-2079)
- Ľuboslav Hrdý
- Elisa Belotti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0735-6531)
- Josefa Krausova
- Luděk Bufka
- Martin Duľa
- Jakub Straka
- Rostislav Dvořák
- Jiří Labuda
- Martin Váňa
- Vlado Trulík
- Lukas Picek
- Luděk Toman
- Václav Kocourek
- Vojtech Cermak
- Michal Bojda
- Miroslav Kutal
Institutions
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZ)
- Friends United (US)
- Laboratoire d'Informatique, de Robotique et de Microélectronique de Montpellier (FR)
- Šumava National Park (CZ)
- Czech Technical University in Prague (CZ)
- Mendel University in Brno (CZ)
- University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (CZ)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Scientific Data
- Published
- 2026-02-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-06853-9
- Primary Topic
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00