Lynx

The Lynx (Lynx canadensis) is a close cousin to the more familiar bobcat. Unlike the bobcat however the lynx is a specialist of the "boreal forest," forests of the north and high elevations.

A member of the Feline family it has yellowish brown fur, with many having dark spots although coloration may vary. It has a short tail that is ringed and tipped with black. Its long legs and large furry paws are characteristic of the lynx and act as "snowshoes", enabling the lynx to hunt and travel through deep snow. Its paws are as large as a mountain lion, an animal 3-5 times larger than the lynx.

A strict carnivore, the lynx's main food source is the snowshoe hare, but they are also known to take rodents, birds and fish. Lynx numbers are known to fall and rise in sync with the approximate ten year cycle of the snowshoe hare. During the winter months, lynx will also prey on weakened deer and other ungulates, as well as feed on carrion.

Lynx are cautious and secretive, and will avoid large open areas. They need a mosaic of forest stand types to den and find prey, but they also need unbroken forest to provide stalking and security cover. Connectivity between denning and foraging areas is critical. Fragmentation due to logging and roadbuilding can greatly reduce the value of habitat to lynx. Fire suppression also reduces the capacity of areas to support high numbers of snowshoe hare, and, therefore, lynx. The ability of burned areas to support hares decreases over time, so strict fire suppression may lead to low hare numbers.

Today, Washington and Montana are the only lower 48 states known to have a reproducing lynx population. Reproducing populations also exist in Canada. Lynx may be barely hanging on in Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Maine and New Hampshire. They are particularly at risk in the western U.S. because of their low numbers and narrow distribution along the spines of the Rocky Mountains and Cascade Mountains. Because of the lynx's threatened status, they are no longer trapped in the lower 48.

Learn More

Meet the Lynx the "Snowshoe Cat" [Guest Article]

The Lynx [excerpt from PCA "The Wild Bunch" slideshow script]

Priority Mapping of Forest Carnivores in the American West (html) [Illustrates sightings and priority habitat areas of fisher, lynx and wolverine.]

Wide-Ranging Lynx to Get Better Land Management [PCA Press Release, September 25, 2001]

PCA Comments on Lynx Amendment [PCA Correspondence with the U.S. Forest Service, October 25, 2001]

Lynx Deserve Our Best Efforts [PCA Opinion Editorial, November 6, 2001]

Groups File Notice Against Delay in Lynx Protections [PCA Press Release, January 11, 2000]

Groups file Lawsuit Against Delay in Lynx Protections [PCA Press Release, March 13, 2000]

Lynx Gain Partial ESA Protections [PCA Press Release, March 21, 2000]

Lynx Listed as "Threatened" under the ESA [PCA Article, Spring 2000]

A Chronology of Efforts to Protect the Lynx [PCA Article, Spring 2000]

Studies confirm protections needed now more than ever [PCA Article, Spring 2000]

Conservationists Intend to Challenge Lynx ESA Decision [PCA Press Release, May 3, 2000]

Lynx Information Clearinghouse