The lynx is an intelligent and calculating predator that never attacks a person first if he does not pose a threat to it. In the confrontation between the hunter and the lynx, man does not always win. Intelligence, speed, cunning, and lightning fast reaction—that’s how you can describe a lynx in a nutshell.
The lynx is the largest European cat, as well as the northernmost cat living on Earth. Some species live even beyond the Arctic Circle.
Fact number one.
Lynxes are small wild cats in comparison to tigers and lions. In length (without a tail), they reach from eighty to one hundred centimeters. The tail adds about ten to twenty centimeters to the cat. Their body weight is about ten to twenty kilograms. All lynx species found in Asia and Europe are larger than those found in North America. The largest species is the Eurasian lynx. It reaches a length of eighty to one hundred centimeters (excluding the tail) and has a body weight in the range of fifteen to thirty kilograms. The smallest species is the Iberian lynx. In length, it reaches no more than eighty centimeters and weighs only six to eleven kilograms.
Fact number two.
The lynx has excellent hearing, so it is able to hear human footsteps at a distance of several kilometers. When hunting lynx, you have to show real art.
Fact number three. Being in natural conditions, these animals live on average from fifteen to seventeen years. The life span of lynxes depends on the number of wolves that hunt lynxes. Lynxes can live in captivity for up to twenty-five years when all conditions for keeping them are created.
Fact number four.
As a rule, lynxes are distinguished by the fact that they have a short but powerful trunk, and you can see clearly defined tassels of long dark hair on the tips of their ears. This animal has a fairly short tail, as if it had been chopped off. The predator’s head is small but has a well-defined rounded shape. Thanks to the elongated hair, peculiar «sideburns» are formed on the sides of the muzzle. The eyes are quite wide, with rounded pupils, and the muzzle is shortened. The paws are large enough and, in winter, they allow them to move silently.
Fact number five.
Lynxes have very beautiful and warm fur of different colors—from reddish-brown to smoky. Lynx fur is so fluffy, thick and pleasant to the touch that it has almost no competitors among the skins of other animals.
Fact number six.
Unlike cougars and other wild cats, the lynx does not fall through the snow when walking. All this is due to the fact that their paws are shaped like pillows, and their thumbs, located at a wide angle, help them evenly distribute the weight. This allows them to stay in the snow and not fall through. When one individual passes, several lynxes try to follow in each other’s footsteps.
Fact number seven.
Females and males provide the cubs with food, getting small rodents for them. Also, both parents teach cubs the basics of hunting in preparation for independent life. A lynx usually gives birth to two to three kittens after seventy days of gestation. Small lynxes are absolutely defenseless. Lynx cubs are deaf and blind at birth; they begin to see only after two weeks.
Fact number eight.
Females and males participate in the upbringing and provide the cubs with food, getting small rodents for them. They go hunting only at dusk. Thanks to the «tassels» on their ears, lynxes are perfectly oriented in space and feel their potential prey. Lynxes hunt their prey in various ways: they can sneak up unnoticed or wait for animals near their trails, ambushing them. They also visit places where ungulates quench their thirst.
Fact number nine.
This predator chooses impenetrable thickets, represented by dense taiga and coniferous forests. The animal skillfully climbs trees while doing well in rocky terrain. Lynxes are excellent swimmers. The thick coat of the animal helps him to live in extreme conditions where there is a lot of snow and quite frosty winters. The coat color is such that it is difficult to notice this predator in the daytime in sunlight. This also allows the lynx to perfectly disguise itself among the thickets and hunt successfully.
Fact number ten.
Lynxes do not get along well in the same territory as foxes and try to kill them at the first opportunity. At the same time, this predator does not eat the meat of a killed fox. No one knows what this is connected to. As a rule, hunting hares takes most of the time of lynxes, although they often hunt young ungulates, such as roe deer, musk deer, and izyubry. They will not miss the opportunity to hunt young wild boars. If you’re lucky, the lynx can catch a squirrel or a marten, as well as grouse. The lynx’s diet consists of other birds. When a lynx hunts, it can walk at least thirty kilometers in search of prey. This is a hardy animal. If the year turns out to be a hungry one and food is scarce, lynxes will approach human dwellings and attack poultry or other domestic animals, including cats and dogs. If it is not possible to eat the prey at one time, then the lynx will either hide it in the snow or bury it in the ground.
International Lynx Day is celebrated around the world on the 11th of June.