Understory is the vegetation or plant-life on the forest floor. This type of habitat is also ideal for their preferred prey species, the snowshoe hare. Yet, lynx are very adaptable and can live in rocky areas, open forest, scrub brush, and even dunes. Canada lynx prey mostly on snowshoe hare. However, when hares are scarce they will prey on grouse, ptarmigan, pine squirrels, marmots, mice, ground squirrels, beaver, muskrat and other small animals and birds.
Lynx occasionally eat deer, elk and even moose when they can kill a calf or fawn.
They also scavenge and will eat carrion. Lynx are good runners and climbers. However, they usually hunt on the ground. Lynx rest or bed under ledges, tree or in caves. In bad weather they may bed under thick spruce trees.