Lynx today are known to occur only in Maine, Minnesota, Wyoming, Oregon, Idaho, and possibly in Michigan. A recent reintroduction program has begun in Colorado. Lynx have complex needs for habitat. Snowshoe hares are the primary prey of lynx. Lynx are specialized hunters and can survive only where there are adequate hare populations.
Lynx occasionally prey on mice, voles, grouse, ptarmigan, and red squirrel.
Generally solitary animals, lynx usually hunt and travel alone and are slightly more active at night than by day. May. Kittens stay with their mother for the first year while they learn to hunt. Once hunted and trapped for their fur, the lynx is now protected from all hunting in the U.S., except in Montana and Alaska. The greatest threat faced by lynx today is the destruction and overuse of their habitat. Because lynx need large areas of undisturbed forest, road building creates barriers and isolates populations.