Details
Lynx lynx
The Eurasian lynx is a large forest cat with tufted ears and a short tail. It lives alone in wooded and mountainous country, hunting mostly at night.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It ranges across Palearctic forests and mountains. Dense woodland, rocky cover, and snowy slopes all provide hunting and denning habitat.
Length 80-130 cm; weight 13-35 kg. Long legs, a short black-tipped tail, and black ear tufts are distinctive. Thick spotted fur helps in cold climates.
Nocturnal and solitary, it walks a broad home range. It relies on keen sight and hearing, then approaches prey quietly.
A carnivore, it takes hares, birds, and medium-sized hoofed animals. Diet shifts with local prey availability from small to fairly large animals.
Breeding occurs from winter into spring. Females den in rock shelters, roots, or fallen timber and raise kittens until they can hunt independently.
It is listed as Least Concern. Reintroductions and protection have helped in parts of Europe, though poaching and fragmentation remain problems in some areas.
