The information that currently is available indicates that their population is declining. Lynx range throughout Canada and Alaska as well as in some northern and Rocky Mountain U.S. states.
Lynx live mainly in forested areas, but they are also found in northern scrub land and tundra.
But while lynx populations are still healthy in Canada and Alaska, the animals have almost disappeared in the United States. Snowshoe hares are its chief prey, and populations of both species fluctuate together every seven to ten years. Its decline is an indication of the loss of such ecosystems to forest clearing. Past unregulated hunting and over-trapping have also reduced their numbers. For the cats to recover in the United States, large areas will have to be protected from deforestation and development.