Lynx

The Lynx is a small cat. It is a genus with four species.Wozencraft W.C. 2005. Order Carnivora. In Wilson D.E. & Reeder D M. (eds) Mammal species of the world. 3rd ed, Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 541–542.  The four species are in Eurasia, Spain, Canada and America, and do not overlap much.

 Appearance 
Lynx have short tails, and usually some hair on the ears. They have large paws (feet) padded for walking on snow, and long whiskers on the face. The color of the body is from light brown to grey and is sometimes marked with dark brown spots, especially on the legs. They weigh about 5 kg or about 11 pounds (approximately the size of a large domestic cat) and can weigh up to about 30 kg (66 pounds). They are between 70 and 150 cm long, with a relative short tail - 5-25 cm. They live for about 20 years.

Lynx are similar to a regular house cat, but larger. They have a powerful body on short, furry legs attached to hefty feet, and a bobbed, black-tipped tail. The fur is spotted and yellowish-brown to grey. It has a collar of fur around the face, giving a triangular shape. They also have long black ear tufts.

 Habitat 
Lynx live in the high altitude forests with many shrubs, reeds and grass. They hunt only on the ground, but can climb trees and swim.

They can be found in the some places in northern Scandinavia, in North America and also in the Himalayas. Since the 1990s people try to move part of the population of the Eurasian lynx to Germany. They can also be found in Białowieża Forest (northeastern Poland), and southern Spain.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife tried to move other wild Lynx populations from Canada back to the United States.

 Behaviour 
Lynx are usually solitary, although a small group may travel and hunt together occasionally. Mating takes place in the late winter and once a year the female gives birth to between two and four kittens. The young stay with the mother for one more winter, a total of around nine months, before moving out to live on their own as young adults.

Lynx make their dens in crevices or under ledges. They feed on a wide range of animals from white-tailed deer, reindeer, roe deer, small red deer, and chamois, to smaller, more usual prey: snowshoe hares, sheep, squirrels, mice, turkeys and other birds, and goats. They also eat ptarmigans, voles, and grouse.

 The genus Lynx 
 Genus Lynx
 Canada lynx, Lynx canadensis
 Eurasian lynx, Lynx lynx
 Iberian lynx or Spanish Lynx, Lynx pardinus
 Bobcat, Lynx rufus

 Conservation 
The Iberian lynx is the most endangered feline in the world. There are only two populations (together, 300 animals), in the southern Spain.
Hunting lynxes is illegal in many countries.

 References 

 Other websites 

 Canada Lynx in the Southern Rockies 
 The Iberian Lynx  The natural history of the Iberian lynx
 Hopes raised by Spain lynx births

Category:Felines
Category:Mammals of North America
Category:Mammals of Europe
Category:Mammals of Asia

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Category:National symbols of Serbia