View source for Lynx

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{{other uses}}
{{Taxobox
|authority=[[Robert Kerr (writer)|Kerr]], 1792
|name = ''Lynx''
|image = Lynx lynx poing.jpg
|image_caption = [[Eurasian lynx]] (''Lynx lynx'')
|type_species = ''[[Eurasian Lynx|Lynx lynx]]''
|type_species_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758
|regnum = [[Animalia]]
|classis = [[Mammalia]]
|ordo = [[Carnivora]]
|familia = [[Felidae]]
|subfamilia = [[Felinae]]
|subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
|subdivision = ''[[Lynx lynx]]''<br>''[[Lynx canadensis]]''<br>''[[Lynx pardinus]]''<br>''[[Lynx rufus]]''
|range_map = Lynx_range.png
|range_map_caption = ''Lynx'' ranges
}}
[[File:Lynx kitten.jpg|thumb|Lynx kitten]]

The '''''Lynx''''' is a [[small cat]]. It is a [[genus]] with four [[species]].<ref>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. {{ISBN|978-0-8018-8221-0}}</ref> The four species are in [[Eurasia]], [[Spain]], [[Canada]] and [[America]], and do not overlap much.

== Appearance ==
''Lynx'' have short [[tail]]s, and usually some [[hair]] on the [[ear]]s. They have large paws ([[foot|feet]]) padded for walking on snow, and long [[whisker]]s 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 [[leg]]s. They weigh about 5&nbsp;kg or about 11 [[Pound (mass)|pounds]] (approximately the size of a large [[cat|domestic cat]]) and can weigh up to about 30&nbsp;kg (66 pounds). They are between 70 and 150 [[cm]] long, with a relative short tail - 5-25 [[Centimetre|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 [[wikt:altitude|altitude]] [[forest]]s with many [[shrub]]s, [[Reed (plant)|reeds]] and [[grass]]. They hunt only on the ground, but can climb [[tree]]s and [[swimming|swim]].

They can be found in the some places in northern [[Scandinavia]], in [[North America]] and also in the [[Himalaya]]s. Since the 1990s people try to move part of the population of the Eurasian lynx to [[Germany]]. They can also be found in [[Bialowieza Forest|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 [[wikt:solitary|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 hare]]s, [[sheep]], [[squirrel]]s, [[mouse|mice]], [[Turkey (bird)|turkey]]s and other [[bird]]s, and [[Domestic goat|goat]]s. They also eat [[ptarmigan]]s, [[vole]]s, 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 [[extinction|endangered]] [[Felidae|feline]] in the world. There are only two populations (together, 300 animals), in the southern Spain.
Hunting lynxes is [[illegal]] in many countries.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Other websites ==
{{wikispecies|Lynx}}
{{commonscat|Lynx}}
* [http://www.sinapu.org/Pages/Lynx/Lynx.htm Canada Lynx in the Southern Rockies] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515050307/http://www.sinapu.org/Pages/Lynx/Lynx.htm |date=2008-05-15 }}
* [http://www.iberianature.com/material/iberianlynx.htm The Iberian Lynx] The natural history of the Iberian lynx
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4394005.stm Hopes raised by Spain lynx births]

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