Lynx have a short tail, characteristic tufts of black hair on the tips of their ears, large, padded paws for walking on snow and long whiskers on the face. Under their neck, they have a ruff, which has black bars resembling abow tie, although this is often not visible.
Body colour varies from medium brown to goldish to beige-white, and is occasionally marked with dark brown spots, especially on the limbs. All species of lynx have white fur on their chests, bellies and on the insides of their legs, fur which is an extension of the chest and belly fur. The lynx's colouring, fur length and paw size vary according to the climate in their range. In theSouthwestern United States, they are short-haired, dark in colour and their paws are smaller and less padded. In colder northern climates lynx have thicker and lighter fur as well as larger and more padded paws that are well-adapted to snow.
The smallest species are thebobcat and theCanada lynx, while the largest is theEurasian lynx, with considerable variations within species.
All living species ofLynx are thought to descend fromLynx issiodorensis, which first appeared during the earlyPliocene in Africa, around 4 million years ago, shortly afterwards dispersing into Eurasia. The bobcat is thought to have arisen from a dispersal across theBering Land Bridge during the Early Pleistocene, around 2.5-2.4 million years ago, with the Iberian lynx suggested to have speciated around 1 million years ago, at the end of the Early Pleistocene, the Eurasian lynx is thought to have evolved from Asian populations ofLynx issidorensis. The Canada lynx is thought to descend from a separate later migration of Eurasian lynx over the Bering Land Bridge around 200,000 years ago.[12]
The Pliocene felidFelis 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.[13][14] Anotherextinct species ofLynx,L. shansius, inhabited what is now northern China during the Early Pleistocene,[15] though this species is considered by some researchers to be a junior synonym ofL. issiodorensis.[16][17]
Of the four lynx species, the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is the largest in size. It is native to European,Central Asian, andSiberian forests. While itsconservation status has been classified as "least concern", populations of Eurasian lynx have been reduced orextirpated from much of Europe, where it is now being reintroduced.During the summer, the Eurasian lynx has a relatively short, reddish or brown coat which is replaced by a much thicker silver-grey to greyish-brown coat during winter. The lynx hunts by stalking and jumping on its prey, helped by the rugged, forested country in which it resides. A favorite prey for the lynx in its woodland habitat isroe deer. It will feed however on whatever animal appears easiest, as it is an opportunistic predator much like its cousins.[13]
The Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), or Canadian lynx, is aNorth American felid that ranges inforest andtundra regions[18] acrossCanada and intoAlaska, as well as some parts of thenorthern United States. Historically, the Canadian lynx ranged from Alaska across Canada and into many of the northernU.S. states. In the eastern states, it resided in the transition zone in which boreal coniferous forests yielded to deciduous forests.[19] By 2010, after an 11-year effort, it had been successfully reintroduced intoColorado, where it had become extirpated in the 1970s.[20][21][22] In 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated the Canada lynx athreatened species in thelower 48 states.[23]
The Canada lynx is a good climber and swimmer; it constructs rough shelters under fallen trees or rock ledges. It has a thick coat and broad paws, and is twice as effective as the bobcat at supporting its weight on the snow. The Canada lynx feeds almost exclusively onsnowshoe hares; its population is highly dependent on the population of this prey animal. It will also hunt medium-sizedmammals andbirds if hare numbers fall.[18]
The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is avulnerable species native to theIberian Peninsula inSouthern Europe. It was the most endangered cat species in the world,[24] but conservation efforts have changed its status from critical to endangered to vulnerable. The loss of the species would have been the firstfeline extinction since theSmilodon 10,000 years ago.[25] The species used to be classified as a subspecies of the Eurasian lynx, but is now considered a separate species. Both species occurred together in centralEurope in thePleistocene epoch, being separated by habitat choice.[26] The Iberian lynx is believed to have evolved fromLynx issiodorensis.[27]
The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is a North American wild cat. With 13 recognized subspecies, the bobcat is common throughout southern Canada, thecontinental United States, and northern Mexico.[28] Like the Eurasian lynx, its conservation status is "least concern."[29] The bobcat is an adaptable predator that inhabitsdeciduous,coniferous, ormixed woodlands, but unlike otherLynx, does not depend exclusively on the deep forest, and ranges from swamps and desert lands to mountainous and agricultural areas, its spotted coat serving as camouflage.[30] The population of the bobcat depends primarily on the population of its prey.[31] Nonetheless, the bobcat is often killed by larger predators such ascoyotes.[32]
The bobcat resembles other species of the genusLynx, but is on average the smallest of the four. Its coat is variable, though generally tan to grayish brown, with black streaks on the body and dark bars on the forelegs and tail. The ears are black-tipped and pointed, with short, black tufts. There is generally an off-white color on the lips, chin, and underparts. Bobcats in the desert regions of the southwest have the lightest-colored coats, while those in the northern, forested regions have the darkest.[11]
Behavior and diet
The lynx is usually solitary, although a small group of lynx may travel and hunt together occasionally. Mating takes place in the late winter and once a year the female gives birth to between one and four kittens. The gestation time of the lynx is about 70 days. 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. The lynx creates its den in crevices or under ledges. It feeds on a wide range of animals fromwhite-tailed deer,reindeer,roe deer, smallred deer, andchamois, to smaller, more usual prey:snowshoe hares,fish,foxes,sheep,squirrels,mice,turkeys and otherbirds, andgoats. It also eatsptarmigans,voles, andgrouse.
Distribution and habitat
A lynx stalking prey
The lynx inhabits high altitude forests with dense cover of shrubs, reeds, and tall grass. Although this cat hunts on the ground, it can climb trees and can swim swiftly, catching fish.
Europe and Asia
TheEurasian lynx ranges from central and northernEurope acrossAsia up to NorthernPakistan andIndia. InIran, they live inMount Damavand area.[33] Since the beginning of the 20th century, the Eurasian lynx was considered extinct in the wild inSlovenia andCroatia. 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'sPlitvice Lakes National Park andRisnjak National Park. In both countries, the lynx is listed as an endangered species and protected by law. The lynx was distributed throughoutJapan duringJōmon period; with no paleontological evidence thereafter suggesting extinction at that time.[34]
Several lynx resettlement projects begun in the 1970s have been successful in various regions ofSwitzerland. Since the 1990s, there have been numerous efforts to resettle the Eurasian lynx inGermany, and since 2000, a small population can now be found in theHarz mountains nearBad Lauterberg.
The lynx is found in theBiałowieża Forest in northeasternPoland, and in the northern and western parts of China, particularly theTibetan Plateau. InRomania, the numbers exceed 2,000, the largest population in Europe outside ofRussia, although most experts consider the official population numbers to be overestimated.[35]
The lynx is more common in northern Europe, especially inNorway,Sweden,Estonia,Finland, and the northern parts ofRussia. 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 2008, and the numbers have been increasing every year since 1992. The lynx population in Finland is estimated currently to be larger than ever before.[36] Lynx inBritain were wiped out in the 17th century, but there have been calls to reintroduce them to curb the numbers ofdeer.[37]
The twoLynx species in North America, Canada lynx andbobcats, are both found in thetemperate zone. While the bobcat is common throughout southern Canada, the continental United States and northern Mexico, the Canada lynx is present mainly inboreal forests of Canada and Alaska.[28]
See also
Caracal, a small African cat with lynx-like ears and (relatively) short tail
^Kurtén, Björn; Werdelin, Lars (1984). "The relationships of Lynx shansius Teilhard".Annales Zoologici Fennici.21 (2):129–133.
^Jianzuo, Q.; Li, L.; Madurell-Malapeira, J.; Wang, S.; Li, S.; Fu, J.; Chen, S. (2022). "The diversification of the lynx lineage during the Plio-Pleistocene—evidence from a new smallLynx from Longdan, Gansu Province, China".Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.136 (4):536–551.doi:10.1093/biolinnean/blac054.
^"Canada Lynx".Science & Nature: Animals – Wildfacts. National Wildlife Federation. Archived fromthe original on February 17, 2013. RetrievedMarch 1, 2013.
^"Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus)".Cat Specialist Group Species Accounts. IUCN – The World Conservation Union. 1996. Archived fromthe original(Page navigation contains an imagemap) on July 24, 2011. RetrievedMay 29, 2011.
^Kurtén, Björn (1968).Pleistocene Mammals of Europe.
^abZielinski, William J.; Kucera, Thomas E. (1998).American Marten, Fisher, Lynx, and Wolverine: Survey Methods for Their Detection. USA: Diane Publishing. p. 74.ISBN978-0-7881-3628-3.
^Fedriani, J. M., T. K. Fuller, R. M. Sauvajot and E. C. York. 2000. Competition and intraguild predation among three sympatric carnivores. Oecologia, 125:258–270.
^Hasegawa, Y.[in Japanese]; Kaneko, H.; Tachibana, M.; Tanaka, G. (2011).日本における後期更新世～前期完新世産のオオヤマネコLynxについて [A study of the extinct JapaneseLynx from the Late Pleistocene to the Early Holocene](PDF).Bulletin of Gunma Museum of Natural History (in Japanese and English).15:43–80.ISSN1342-4092.
^"Ilves" (in Finnish). Finland: Riista- ja kalatalouden tutkimuslaitos. October 14, 2010. Archived fromthe original on July 17, 2011. RetrievedMay 30, 2011.
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