Their thick fur is grayish-brown with tawny streaks, and even the bottoms of their large feet are covered in fur. Perhaps the species' most distinguishing characteristic is the enormous size of its paws. Although considerably smaller than a mountain lion, lynx have feet roughly equivalent in size to those of their much larger cousins, approximately 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Adapted to life in boreal forests, these big, furry paws act like snowshoes, helping lynx to hunt and travel in deep snow. Like all cats, their claws are retractable.
Lynx look like the closely related, but more common bobcat, with only minor differences.
They are larger and have bob-tails completely circled by a black ring, while the ring on bobcats' tails is broken on the underside. Colorado's Rocky Mountains are the southern edge of traditional range for lynx. Only 18 confirmed records and specimens of lynx in the state have been recorded since 1878. Although researchers have identified 11 sets of possible tracks since 1979, no animals have actually been sighted. Lynx were classified as a state endangered species in 1976, and the last known animal was illegally trapped and killed near Vail in February 1973.