Lynx
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| Felis lynx Linnaeus, 1758 |
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 The overall range of Lynx species.
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A lynx is any of four medium-sized wild cats. All are members of the genus Lynx, but there is considerable confusion about the best way to classify felids at present, and some authorities classify them as part of the genus Felis. The Caracal, despite sometimes being called Persian Lynx or African Lynx, does not belong to this genus.
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[edit] Species
The four species placed in this genus are:
- Canadian Lynx (Lynx canadensis)
- Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx)
- Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus)
- Bobcat (Lynx rufus)
[edit] Appearance
Lynx have short tails and characteristic tufts of black hair on the tip of the ears. They have a ruff under the neck, which has black bars (not very visible), resembling a bow tie. They have large paws padded for walking on snow and long whiskers on the face. The body color varies from light brown to grey; and occasionally, is marked with dark brown spots, especially on the limbs.
[edit] Behavior
Lynx are usually solitary, although a small group of lynx may travel and hunt together. Mating takes place in the late winter and they give birth to 2 to 4 kittens once a year. The young stay with the mother for one more winter; and then, the young adults can live on their own. Lynx will have their dens in crevices or under ledges. They feed on a wide range of animals from Reindeer, Roe Deer, small Red Deer, and Chamois, to smaller, more usual prey: birds, and small mammals, like snowshoe hares, fish, sheep, and goats.
[edit] Habitat
The lynx inhabits the high altitude forests with dense cover of shrubs, reeds, and grass. Although the cat hunts on the ground, it can climb trees, and it swims, catching fish. Even though the lynx is found in the northern regions of Scandinavia, it is primarily found in North America and also in pockets in the Himalayas.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, the Eurasian Lynx was considered extinct in the wild in Slovenia and Croatia. A resettlement project (begun in 1973) has successfully re-introduced the lynx to the Slovenian Alps and the Croatian regions of Gorski Kotar and Velebit, including Croatia's Plitvice Lakes National Park and Risnjak National Park. In both countries, the lynx is listed as an endangered species and protected by law. Lynx-spotting can be arranged in cooperation with the Risnjak National Park. Several lynx-resettlement projects begun in the 1970s have been successful in various regions of Switzerland. Since the 1990s, there have been numerous efforts to resettle the Eurasian Lynx in Germany. The lynx is found in the Białowieża Forest in northeastern Poland. The critically endangered Iberian Lynx lives in southern Spain; and previous, in eastern Portugal. In Romania the numbers exceed 2,000, which is the largest population in Europe.[citation needed] Lynx is more common in northern Europe--especially in Estonia, Finland, and the northern parts of Russia.
Canadian Lynx have been observed (2006) in the Wet Mountains of Colorado. In recent years, a few lynx sightings were reported in the southern Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina, specifically in the area from Mount Mitchell across to the Shope Creek Forest area (part of Pisgah National Forrest). One lynx was even caught alive in a cage trap at Graystone Cabins near Barnardsville, NC--the animal was later released into a wilderness area within Madison County, NC. Although the USFWS officials still deny the presence of lynx in the southern Appalachians, the most recent sighting was reported in Sept 2007, along the Shope Creek Forest area. USFWS officials have said, if these were bona fide lynx sightings, they were most likely illegally-held pets, which were released or had escaped.
[edit] Legal status
The hunting of lynxes is illegal in many countries. The Iberian Lynx is critically endangered with extinction and the killing of any individuals has been outlawed since the 1970s in Spain and Portugal[2]. In 2000, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service designated the Canadian Lynx a Threatened species in the lower 48 states.[3]
[edit] See also
- Lynx (mythology)
- Wildcat, a small predator native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa
[edit] References
- ^ Wozencraft, W. C. (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 541-542. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- ^ "The Iberian Lynx Emergency". Dan Ward (2004). Retrieved on 2007-05-13.
- ^ http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/federal_register/fr3552.pdf 65 Federal Register 16051 16086
[edit] External links
- SOS Lynx: photos, news and information about the Iberian Lynx in English and Portuguese
- Canada Lynx in the Southern Rockies
- The Iberian Lynx The natural history of the Iberian lynx
- The Nature Conservatory's Species Profile: Lynx
- Canada lynx (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
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