lynx (Felis lynx), shortLynxshort-tailed cat of the cats (family Felidae), found in the forests of Europe, Asia, and northern North America.


lynx is related to the bobcat, or bay lynx, and to the caracal, or Persian (desert) lynx; all were formerly placed in the genus Lynx.

There are several races of lynxes. The Canada lynx is sometimes separated as a distinct species (Felis canadensis), as is the pardel, or Spanish, lynx (F. pardina), an endangered European Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) and the bobcat (L. rufus) live in North America. The two other lynx species are the Eurasian lynx (L. lynx) and the Iberian lynx (L. pardinus), an endangered species now found only in montane regions the mountains of southern Spain.

The lynx is a Lynx are long-legged, large-pawed cat cats with tufted ears, hairy soles, and a broad, short head. Its The coat, which forms a bushy ruff on the neck, is tawny to cream coloured in colour and somewhat mottled with brown and black; the tail tip and ear tufts are black. In winter the fur is dense and soft, up to 10 cm (4 inches) long, and is sought by humans for trimming garments. The lynx is Lynx range in size from 80 to 100 cm (32 to 40 inches) long, without the 10–20-centimetre cm (4–8-inch) tail, and stands stand about 60 cm (24 inches) at the shoulder. It weighs Weight is from 10 to 20 kg (22 to 44 pounds).

Nocturnal and silent, except during the mating season, the lynx lives live alone or in small groups. It climbs They climb and swims swim well and feeds feed on birds and small mammals, occasionally taking . The Eurasian lynx will take larger prey such as deer. The Canada lynx depends heavily on the snowshoe rabbits hare for food, and its population increases and decreases regularly every 9 or 10 years, relative to the population of its prey. The lynx breeds Lynx breed in late winter or early spring, and a litter of one to four young is born after a gestation period of about two months.