Lynx
The Lynx is a small cat. It is a genus with four species.[1] The four species are in Eurasia, Spain, Canada and America, and do not overlap much.
| Lynx | |
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| Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) | |
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| Type species | |
| Lynx lynx Linnaeus, 1758
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| Lynx ranges | |
Appearance
Lynx have short tails, and usually some hair on the ears. They have large paws (feet) padded for walking on snow, and long whiskers on the face. The color of the body is from light brown to grey and is sometimes marked with dark brown spots, especially on the legs. They weigh about 5 kg or about 11 pounds (approximately the size of a large domestic cat) and can weigh up to about 30 kg (66 pounds). They are between 70 and 150 cm long, with a relative short tail - 5-25 cm. They live for about 20 years.
Lynx are similar to a regular house cat, but larger. They have a powerful body on short, furry legs attached to hefty feet, and a bobbed, black-tipped tail. The fur is spotted and yellowish-brown to grey. It has a collar of fur around the face, giving a triangular shape. They also have long black ear tufts.
Habitat
Lynx live in the high altitude forests with many shrubs, reeds and grass. They hunt only on the ground, but can climb trees and swim.
They can be found in the some places in northern Scandinavia, in North America and also in the Himalayas. Since the 1990s people try to move part of the population of the Eurasian lynx to Germany. They can also be found in Białowieża Forest (northeastern Poland), and southern Spain.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife tried to move other wild Lynx populations from Canada back to the United States.
Behaviour
Lynx are usually solitary, although a small group may travel and hunt together occasionally. Mating takes place in the late winter and once a year the female gives birth to between two and four kittens. The young stay with the mother for one more winter, a total of around nine months, before moving out to live on their own as young adults.
Lynx make their dens in crevices or under ledges. They feed on a wide range of animals from white-tailed deer, reindeer, roe deer, small red deer, and chamois, to smaller, more usual prey: snowshoe hares, fish, foxes, sheep, squirrels, mice, turkeys and other birds, and goats. They also eat ptarmigans, voles, and grouse.
The genus Lynx
- Genus Lynx
- Canada lynx, Lynx canadensis
- Eurasian lynx, Lynx lynx
- Iberian lynx or Spanish Lynx, Lynx pardinus
- Bobcat, Lynx rufus
Conservation
The Iberian lynx is the most endangered feline in the world. There are only two populations (together, 300 animals), in the southern Spain. Hunting lynxes is illegal in many countries.
Lynx Media
Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in the Zoo of Madrid, Spain.
Winter im Wildpark Bad Mergentheim, Luchs
The sun was low and this lynx moved through the shadows as he approached the shore of a frozen Annie Lake in southern Yukon. They are nocturnal animals and rarely seen.
Iberian Lynx adult from the Program Ex-situ Conservation
Scene from Calero Creek Trail
Vigilant lynx, Schönbrunn Zoo, Vienna.
Lynx du Canada
Saliega, hembra de lince ibérico (Lynx pardinus) del Programa de Conservación Ex-Situ del Lince Ibérico.
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Scene from Calero Creek Trail
Stalking Lynx
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References
- ↑ Wozencraft W.C. 2005. Order Carnivora. In Wilson D.E. & Reeder D M. (eds) Mammal species of the world. 3rd ed, Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 541–542. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0
Other websites
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Wikispecies has information on: Lynx. |
- Canada Lynx in the Southern Rockies Archived 2008-05-15 at the Wayback Machine
- The Iberian Lynx The natural history of the Iberian lynx
- Hopes raised by Spain lynx births