Lynx

Lynx[1]
Lynx canadensis, the Canadian lynx
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Felidae
Subfamily:	Felinae
Genus:	Lynx Kerr, 1792
Type species
Lynx lynx Linnaeus, 1758
Species
Lynx lynx Lynx canadensis Lynx pardinus Lynx rufus
The overall range of Lynx species.

A lynx (plural lynx or lynxes) is any of four species of medium-sized wild cats that are members of the genus Lynx. "Lynx" is from the Greek word "to shine," and may be in reference to the reflective ability of the cat’s eyes. There is considerable confusion about the best way to classify felids at present, and some authorities classify them as part of the genus Felis. The Caracal, despite sometimes being called Persian lynx or African lynx, does not belong to this genus.

Appearance

The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx)

Lynx have short tails and characteristic tufts of black hair on the tip of their ears.They have a ruff under the neck, which has black bars (not very visible), resembling a bow tie. They have large padded paws for walking on snow, and long whiskers on the face.

The large body colour varies from medium brown to gold-ish to beige-white; and occasionally, is marked with dark brown spots, especially on the limbs. All species of lynx also have white fur on their chests, bellies and on the insides of their legs, which are extensions of the chest and belly fur. Also, the lynx's colouring, fur height and paw size varies by its climate range—in the South western United States, the fur and colour are short-haired, dark and the paws are smaller and less padded; as the lynx ranges to its colder northern climates, the fur gets progressively thicker (for warmth), the colour gets lighter (for camouflage) and its paws enlarge and become more padded (for snowy environments). Their paws may become larger than a human hand or foot.

They have extremely good hearing and have 28 teeth, which stab deeply into their prey. This can be especially helpful to the lynx because they are not the most efficient hunters and they lose most of their prey to a variety of factors.

The smallest species are the bobcat and the Canada lynx, with an average weight of 10 to 13 kilograms (22 to 29 lb), while the largest is the Eurasian Lynx, with an average weight 18 to 25 kilograms (40 to 55 lb), up to a reported maximum of 40 kilograms (88 lb), but there is considerable variation within species.

Behavior

Lynx are usually solitary, although small groups of lynx may travel and hunt together occasionally. Mating takes place in the late winter and they give birth from two to four kittens once a year. The gestation time of lynx is about 70 days. The young stay with the mother for one more winter, a total of around nine months, before they move out to live on their own as young adults. Lynx will create 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, fox, sheep, pets, squirrels, mice, turkeys and other birds, and goats. They also eat ptarmigan, voles and grouse.

Habitat

Lynx inhabit high altitude forests with dense cover of shrubs, reeds, and tall grass. Although the cats hunt on the ground, they can climb trees and can swim swiftly, catching fish.

Range

Europe and Asia

Lynx pardinus, the Iberian lynx

The Eurasian Lynx

The Eurasian lynx ranges from central and northern Europe across Asia. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the Eurasian lynx was considered extinct in the wild in Slovenia and Croatia. A resettlement project, begun in 1973, has successfully reintroduced lynx to the Slovenian Alps and the Croatian regions of Gorski Kotar and Velebit, including Croatia's Plitvice Lakes National Park and Risnjak National Park. In both countries, the lynx is listed as an endangered species and protected by law.

Several lynx resettlement projects begun in the 1970s have been successful in various regions of Switzerland. Since the 1990s, there have been numerous efforts to resettle the Eurasian lynx in Germany and since 2000 a small population can now be found in the Harz mountains near Bad Lauterberg.

Lynx are found in the Białowieża Forest in northeastern Poland , in Estonia and in the northern and western parts of China, particularly the Tibetan Plateau. In Romania the numbers exceed 2,000, the largest population in Europe outside of Russia, although most experts consider the official population numbers to be overestimated.^[2]

Lynx are more common in northern Europe, especially in Sweden, Estonia, Finland, and the northern parts of Russia. The Swedish population is estimated to be 1200–1500 individuals, spread all over the country but more common in middle Sweden and in the mountain range. The lynx population in Finland was 1900–2100 individuals in year 2008, and the number have been increasing every year since 1992. It has been estimated that lynx population in Finland is currently larger than ever before.^[3] Lynx in Britain were wiped out in the 17th Century but there have been calls to reintroduce them to curb the numbers of deer.^[4]

The critically endangered Iberian lynx lives in southern Spain and formerly in eastern Portugal. There is a lynx reproduction centre planned outside Silves in the Algarve in southern Portugal.

North America

Lynx rufus, the bobcat, California, USA

The Canadian lynx is common throughout the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska, and is particularly abundant throughout its northern range when snowshoe hare numbers are high. Canadian lynx have been observed as recently as 2006 in the Wet Mountains of Colorado.

The bobcat (L. rufus) ranges throughout most of North America.

Lineage

The four living species of the Lynx genus are believed to have evolved from the "Issoire lynx", which lived in Europe and Africa during the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene. The Pliocene felid Felis rexroadensis from North America has been proposed as an even earlier ancestor; however, this was larger than any living species, and is not currently classified as a true lynx.^[5]

Legal status

Lynx pardinus, the Iberian Lynx, is critically endangered, and is the subject of intense conservation efforts.

The hunting of lynx is illegal in many countries. The Iberian lynx is almost extinct and the killing of any individuals has been outlawed since the 1970s in Spain and Portugal.^[6] In 2000, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service designated the Canada Lynx a threatened species in the lower 48 states.^[7]

National animal

The lynx is considered a national animal in the Republic of Macedonia and Romania^[8][9] and is displayed on the reverse of the Macedonian 5 denar coin.^[10]

See also

• Lynx (mythology)
• Wildcat, a small predator native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa

References

External links

• SOS Lynx: Photos, news and information about the Iberian Lynx in English and Portuguese
• Canada Lynx in the Southern Rockies
• The Iberian Lynx The natural history of the Iberian Lynx
• The Nature Conservatory's Species Profile: Lynx
• Canada Lynx (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
• Lynx research in the Bavarian Forest National Park