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Lynx
 A lynx (plural lynx or lynxes) 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.
Appearance
Lynx have short tails and characteristic tufts of black hair on the tip of their ears. They have a ruff under the neck, which has black dicks (not very visible), resembling a bow tie. They have large padded paws for walking on snow, and long whiskers on the face. All four of the lynx species have very long legs. The sizes of lynx vary from small at 5-20 kilograms, to medium at 40 kilograms. The body color varies from medium brown to gold-ish to beige-white; and occasionally, is marked with dark brown spots, especially on the limbs. All species of lynx also have white fur on their chests, bellies and on the insides of their legs, which are extensions of the chest and belly fur. Also, the lynx's coloring, fur height and paw size varies by its climate range - in the Southwest U.S., the fur and color are short-haired, dark and the paws are smaller and less padded; as the lynx ranges to its colder northern climes, the fur gets progressively thicker (for warmth), the color gets lighter (for camouflage) and its paws enlarge and become more padded for snowy environments. Their paws may become as large as a human hand or even larger. They have extremely good hearing and they also have 28 teeth, which, when paired with the jaw structure, stab deeply into their prey. The digestive system of the lynx allows them to eat the flesh of its prey, giving them extra nutrients. This can be especially helpful to the lynx because they are not the most efficient hunters, losing most of their prey to many other factors.
 Behavior
Lynx are usually solitary, although a small group of lynx may travel and hunt together occasionally. Mating takes place in the late winter and they give birth to two to six kittens once a year. The gestation time of lynx is about 70 days. The young stay with the mother for one more winter, a total of around nine months, before they move out to live on their own as young adults. Adult lynx will give their young the prey to play with it before they eat it, thus honing their hunting skills. Lynx will have 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 - birds, and small mammals, like snowshoe hares, fish, sheep, pets, squirrels, mice, turkeys, and goats.
Habitat
Lynx inhabit the high altitude forests with dense cover of shrubs, reeds, and grass. Although the cats hunt on the ground, they can climb trees and can swim swiftly, catching fish.
 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 reintroduced 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. Lynx are found in the Bialoweza Forest in northeastern Poland and in Estonia. The critically endangered Iberian Lynx lives in southern Spain; and previously, in eastern Portugal. In Romania the numbers exceed 2,000, the largest population in Europe except Russia; most experts consider the official population numbers to be overestimated. Lynx are 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 Forest). One lynx was even caught alive in a cage trap at Graystone Cabins near Barnardsville, North Carolina; the animal was later released into a wilderness area within Madison County, North Carolina. 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. The Canadian Lynx is common throughout the boreal forests of Canada, and is especially abundant throughout its northern range when snowshoe hare numbers are high.
Lineage
The four species of the Lynx genus are all believed to have evolved from the Issoire Lynx. The Issoire Lynx is believed to have been the original lynx during the Pliocene period.
Legal status
The hunting of lynx is illegal in many countries. The Iberian Lynx is almost extinct and the killing of any individuals has been outlawed since the 1970s in Spain and Portugal. In 2000, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service designated the Canadian Lynx a Threatened species in the lower 48 states.
National animal
The lynx has the status of a national animal in the Republic of Macedonia and is also displayed on the reverse of the Macedonian 5 denar coin.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Lynx
(Kerr, 1792)
Type species
Felis lynx
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Species
Lynx lynx
Lynx canadensis
Lynx pardinus
Lynx rufus
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All text by Garrett Gilchrist.
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