Lynx interesting facts:
- The lynx is a lone cat that lives in the remote northern forests of North America, Europe, and Asia.
- A lynx is about the size of a small to medium sized dog. It weighs about 11 - 45 pounds.
- A 30 pound lynx has bigger feet than a 200 pound mountain lion. Their big feet act like snowshoes, allowing them to hunt effectively even in deep snow.
- Lynx are covered with beautiful thick fur that keeps them warm during frigid winters. Lynx tufts of fur on their ears and huge feet. They have fluffy gray fur and very short tails.
- All lynx are skilled hunters that make use of great hearing (the tufts on their ears are a hearing aid) and eyesight so strong that a lynx can spot a mouse 250 feet (75 meters) away.
- There are several species of lynx. Few survive in Europe but those that do, like their Asian relatives, are typically larger than their North American counterpart, the Canada lynx.
- Lynx are very vocal. They can make an amazing variety of chattering, hissing and yowling sounds.
- Lynx mate in early spring or late winter. About two months later, females give birth to a litter of one to four young.
- Lynx are large stealthy cats and they tend to avoid humans by hunting at night, so they are rarely seen.
- Lynx live primarily in the snowy and cold parts of the far north. They like cold wilderness areas far away from people.
- Lynx populations rise and fall in sync with the population cycles of their pray, especially the snowshoe hares. When hares are abundant, more lynx survive to reproduce and their numbers increase. When hare populations crash, about every 10 years, many lynx die of starvation.
- Lynx large paws are also furry and hit the ground with a spreading toe motion that makes them function as natural snowshoes.
- Humans sometimes hunt lynx for their beautiful fur. One endangered population, the Iberian lynx, struggles to survive in the mountains of Spain, far from the cold northern forests where most lynx live.
- The female lynx will nurse the kits for five months, although some meat is eaten as early as one month. The male does not participate in parental care.
- Although females continue to breed and reproduce they usually have difficulty supporting both themselves and their young on a reduced food supply resulting in fewer kits surviving.
- There are four lynx species: Eurasian Lynx, Canadian Lynx, Iberian Lynx and Bobcat. Eurasian Lynx are the largest species of their genus and are found all across northern Europe and Asia. Iberian Lynx are present in Spain and are amongst the most endangered of all wild cats.
- The lynx lives of maximum 12-13 years thought few survive to such age.
- The word Lynx is derived from the Greek word meaning 'to shine' and is a reference to the cat's bright eyes.
- Despite being solitary by nature, some lynx cats (particularly females) have been observed hunting cooperatively.
- Historical persecution for fur trade has meant that all the beautiful lynx cats have suffered heavily at the hands of man everywhere.
- Today hunting of lynx is prohibited in most of their natural habitats and there are signs of recovery in numbers of some of the lynx species.
