10

10 log in or sign up to start earning Butterfly Credits today!
learn more »
earn credits for web search

community & fun

groups

get together & make a difference

Groups > Fighting For The Big Cats > Discussions > Topic: The Lynx
Topic: The Lynx

powered by Care2.com • Care2 Home • E-cards & Fun • Shopping • Healthy Living • News Network • Petitions • Click to Donate


anonymous	The Lynx July 14, 2007 4:33 PM The Lynx June 09, 2007 12:33 PM The lynx is a solitary cat that haunts the remote northern forests of North America, Europe, and Asia. Lynx are covered with beautiful thick fur that keeps them warm during frigid winters. Their large paws are also furry and hit the ground with a spreading toe motion that makes them function as natural snowshoes. These stealthy cats avoid humans and hunt at night, so they are rarely seen. There are several species of lynx. Few survive in Europe but those that do, like their Asian relatives, are typically larger than their North American counterpart, the Canada lynx. All lynx are skilled hunters that make use of great hearing (the tufts on their ears are a hearing aid) and eyesight so strong that a lynx can spot a mouse 250 feet (75 meters) away. Canada lynx eat mice, squirrels, and birds, but prefer the snowshoe hare. The lynx are so dependent on this prey that their populations fluctuate with a periodic plunge in snowshoe hare numbers that occurs about every 10 years. Bigger Eurasian lynx hunt deer and other larger prey in addition to small animals. Lynx mate in early spring or late winter. About two months later, females give birth to a litter of one to four young. Humans sometimes hunt lynx for their beautiful fur. One endangered population, the Iberian lynx, struggles to survive in the mountains of Spain, far from the cold northern forests where most lynx live. Type: Mammal Diet: Carnivore Size: Head and body, 32 to 40 in (80 to 100 cm); Tail, 4 to 8 in (10 to 20 cm) Weight: 22 to 44 lbs (10 to 20 kg) Protection status: Threatened [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:34 PM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:34 PM As was her habit, the three-year-old female lynx padded solo through the deep snow in the Chilkat Pass area near the Yukon–British Columbia border, prowling for prey. She spied a movement and pounced across a willow patch, but the red squirrel scampered up a tree. Then, drawn toward a compelling scent of beaver castor, catnip, glycerin, and valerian oil, mixed with herbal massage oil and infused with a couple drops of Clorox bleach, she floated on her oversize paws through the three-foot-deep snow and stepped lightly over a tree limb to investigate the smell. Dripping saliva, she chewed a branch coated with the fragrant paste. Suddenly something gripped her leg, jolting her out of her blissful, drooling state. Bolting in fear and confusion, she leaped, twisted, and lunged for cover. Each time she moved, she dragged a cumbersome log, now wired to her left forefoot. She huddled warily, her tufted, pointy ears trained toward any sound that would reveal what awaited her. Trapper Lance Goodwin found the lynx caught in his snare the next morning, February 27, 2000, lying in a patch of winter sun. He anesthetized her and drove her 160 miles to Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon Territory. There a veterinarian noticed a puncture wound from a stick and amputated part of the third toe on her left forefoot. Other than that she was a healthy, 17-pound lynx, just under three feet long. Though she was caught on the British Columbia side of the border, she shipped out from the Yukon and would henceforth be known as YK00F10—the tenth Yukon female lynx caught in the year 2000 and brought to the United States. Before her odyssey was over, she would be anesthetized and examined five times, radio collared, released into the wild, recaptured, re-collared, and re-released. She would establish a new territory, meet a mate, give birth to ten first-generation American kittens, and pave the way for Lynx canadensis to reestablish residency where her species had once hovered on the brink of oblivion. The life and times of YK00F10 embody the agonizingly complex issues facing U.S. wildlife managers in the 21st century. Her story would give hope to a reintroduction program that began in controversy, endured failure, and is now recognized as one of the most ambitious and thriving carnivore reintroductions in the nation. Curiosity didn't kill Chilkat, as we'll call her (after her capture location). But it sent her on a long immigrant's journey to a new life in the southern Colorado Rockies. Less than three years previously, in May 1997, the plan for a lynx reintroduction took form, as many good ideas will, over a campfire and a bottle of bourbon. On a raft trip along the Dolores River, six biologists and game wardens from the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) talked among themselves about animals that had disappeared in their lifetimes. They all knew the legend of the last definitive Colorado lynx sighting, an animal trapped illegally at Vail ski area in 1973. Since then, trackers had turned up about a dozen ephemeral lynx tracks without spotting any of the reclusive wildcats. Tonight the men planned to ask their director, John Mumma, for his support in bringing the lynx back. Timing would be important for one biological reason and one political reason. Lynx exhibit one of the most predictable prey-predator relationships in nature, especially in northern Canada, where they're still abundant. Every ten years the snowshoe hares that lynx depend on for most of their food go through a dramatic population rise and crash. As they starve, so do the lynx. The Canadian bunnies were now heading toward their ten-year crash in the cycle, so lynx reintroduction would need to start soon or wait nearly a decade. The political consideration was just as pressing. Rumors were flying that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was about to list the lynx as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. If the Feds listed the lynx, there would likely be all sorts of land-use restrictions that Colorado didn't want. But if the DOW had a lynx reintroduction program under way, maybe management would remain in the state's hands. Why not try it? Mumma, a veteran of brutal political skirmishes from his years at the U.S. Forest Service, thought he'd left behind this kind of "sack full of rattlesnakes." Reintroducing predators was always dicey, he knew—both biologically and politically. But Westerners' attitudes about predators were changing: Public support for the two-year-old Yellowstone wolf reintroduction was running pretty darned high, and the previous year in Colorado voters had outlawed wildlife trapping and poisoning. Mumma also knew that lynx were astoundingly beautiful and mysterious creatures. They belonged here. "OK, then," he said. "Let's do it, and let's make it work." Armed with the chief's blessing, the group fanned out to orchestrate the lynx's return. Rick Kahn, the DOW's wildlife management supervisor, lobbied relentlessly, both in and out of the agency, trying to convince an array of skeptics that reintroducing the lynx was a good idea: ranchers who congenitally hated carnivores, loggers and ski operators worried about development restrictions, animal rights activists, and biologists who argued that Colorado offered marginal lynx habitat. Even inside the DOW some worried that the project was hastily conceived and amounted to a "dump and pray." Finally executives at Vail, embroiled in a controversial proposed expansion of the resort, ponied up $250,000. Kahn had argued that having a viable lynx population on the ground was better than having the Endangered Species Act hanging over their heads. [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:37 PM Next Kahn brought DOW researcher Tanya Shenk onto the team. The lynx could not have been adopted by a more tenacious and dedicated den mother. Shenk knew that an Adirondacks reintroduction in the late 1980s had failed. But Colorado had more places where wild things still were, and the animals stood a better chance here. Or so she hoped. The DOW contracted with Canadian trappers to bring lynx to Colorado and constructed holding pens in the southern part of the state. On January 29, 1999, the first of 41 lynx from British Columbia arrived. ["Hey, you're free"] On a warm midwinter day on the east side of the Continental Divide in the San Juan Mountains, the first lynx released into Colorado didn't seem to realize how historic she was. With the press peering on, DOW biologist Gene Byrne ceremoniously slid open the door of a metal cage. Nothing happened. The lynx sat in her straw nest inside the cage for several minutes, perhaps intimidated by the row of telephoto lenses trained on her. Byrne tilted the cage, leaned down, and spoke softly: "Hey, you're free." The lynx waited one moment more, then stepped out cautiously and padded through the snow into the Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir forests that would be her new home. Byrne and other DOW officials were elated. "They're back," said Byrne, red-lettering February 3, 1999, in his mind. A second female released that same day near the headwaters of the Rio Grande was less reluctant, leaving a snow shower behind as she fled into the wilderness. The next day, one yearling male and another female followed, completing the first quartet of transplanted lynx. Reinforcements would arrive soon. The task for these first four lynx, quite simply, was to go forth and multiply. Instead, they died. The first mortality signal came from the yearling male's radio collar in three weeks: no movement, dead of starvation. Two females also starved to death, and DOW officials recaptured the fourth new recruit in terrible shape. They halted new releases to re-evaluate their protocols, and the remaining Canadian cats sat in pens awaiting freedom. The lynx team agonized. Trackers had reported plenty of snowshoe hares in southwestern Colorado. Was it that the lynx couldn't adjust to the high altitude? Were the wildcats just too high-strung to endure this kind of stress? They decided to hold the animals longer and fatten them up before release. They also decided to keep them isolated in captivity through the mating period in February and March so that no recently released females would have to deal with the added stress of breeding and pregnancy in their first months in the wild. Also there would be more prey in the spring, and the harshest winter weather would have passed. With the new protocols in place, they released more lynx. But more died, though only a few from starvation. By the time the releases in 1999 were tallied, 17 of 41 lynx were dead, likely killed by hunters, cars, or disease, and the program was in jeopardy. Next year they would try again. [When Chilkat met Larry] Chilkat, who'd put on five pounds during her month of captivity, seized her opportunity to take to the woods as soon as her cage door opened. On April 2, 2000, she fled into the spruce-fir forest and crossed the frozen Rio Grande. Thirteen other lynx were released that day. One was YK00M6, a 27-pound male captured a week after Chilkat near the town of Carmacks, also in southern Yukon. He had roomed in pen number 19 next to Chilkat at the holding facility. Although there were strict rules against anthropomorphizing the animals, YK00M6 later earned the moniker Larry, after the smart-mouthed lynx on the Frontier Airlines commercial. Larry was a yowler. Unlike some lynx that ended up going on long walkabouts as far away as Utah, Wyoming, and Montana, both Chilkat and Larry stayed pretty close to home. They probably smelled urine markings left by the 1999 releases—an important signpost, which those first lynx didn't have, that fellow wildcats lived in this habitat. Although lynx don't travel in packs, Chilkat and Larry crossed paths repeatedly with other lynx that spring and early the next winter. There were no kittens from the 1999 and 2000 groups, but there was evidence of decent survival rates. Then in February 2003 Larry began his mating yowls and pursued Chilkat until she accepted his advances. Six-legged tracks stretching along a 50-yard stretch of rototilled snow bore witness to their strenuous coupling. [We have kits] Tracks on the ground and aerial reconnaissance in February and March indicated that several possible mating pairs had found each other at the critical time. Then the DOW lynx team caught a break. Bob Dickman, riding in the copilot's seat of a Cessna 185 and holding a receiver that could pick up the radio collars' VHF signals, was looking out for females that had stayed in the same spot since his previous flight. In late May he finally got such a signal and immediately radioed Shenk, who was coordinating ground crews ready to swoop in. "She's either dead, or she's in a den," Dickman said. Shenk and her team headed toward Dickman's coordinates. It was a den, with two kits inside. [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:38 PM After that, a kitten deluge. The third den they found was Chilkat's; she'd given birth to the only kit quartet. After documenting Chilkat's litter, Shenk and her team raced from den to den, recording other kits' weight and sex, and placing an identity tag just underthe skin between their shoulder blades. "We turned into kitten junkies," says Shenk. "We were just flying." At the summer solstice, 16 first-generation Colorado lynx kits had their pale blue eyes open to their new home. "There's nothing like a kitten in your hand to say success," says Shenk. By the time the first snow fell that fall, two of Chilkat's four kits had perished—possibly killed by coyotes or plague. But she and her two survivors roamed the woods together, hunting snowshoe hares. The trio moved with ease up steep, snowy slopes, napping nestled in shallow day beds in the snow. They followed snowmobile tracks and crossed roads, alternately stalking, pouncing, eating, playing, and sleeping. By the following February, Larry's yowls reminded Chilkat that mating season had begun, and she sent her kits off on their own. In June she returned to the same log where she had made her first Colorado den and gave birth to two more kits. The 2004 denning bonanza more than doubled the previous year's lynx crop: Shenk and her team documented 39 new Colorado felines. [Keep 'em coming] Last summer Chilkat gave birth to four more kits. But many obstacles remain for the Colorado lynx. The number of people in the state has doubled since the last known lynx was killed in 1973, bringing more development, more recreation in the forest, and more traffic. Still, the trend lines for the Colorado immigrants are encouraging: 46 kits were documented last year, and there's a high likelihood that some uncollared females have also given birth. The DOW accounted for at least 170 surviving lynx overall, and successful repeat breeders like Chilkat show every indication of continuing the trend. Chilkat's 2004 kits were radio collared early last year and stand poised to give birth to a second-generation lynx crop this year in June. "We need the kittens to have kittens," says Shenk. The plan now is to release about a dozen new lynx each year for the next three, but, Shenk says, "It'll be 15 or 20 years before we can say it's a success. We're not home free yet." After Shenk and her team left Chilkat's den, the lynx took each of her four kittens by the scruff of the neck and moved them to another site. From the new den in the southern Rockies, hidden in the fallen timber of a north-facing slope, she would begin to teach the kits how to stalk, pounce, and make a living in their native land of Colorado. [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:39 PM Lynx Reintroduction to Colorado Video March 06, 2007 8:25 AM http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid263790608/bclid269000809/bctid430296628 [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:40 PM Rocky MountainsSeparate Canadian Lynx North America March 11, 2007 10:35 AM Rocky Mountains Separate Canadian Lynx, Study Says John Roach for National Geographic News September 3, 2003 The Canadian lynx (Lynx canadensis) may creep for miles through dense, debris-strewn forest for the chance to pounce on a scarce snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), but the stealthy feline is apparently seldom bothered to weather a crossing of the Rocky Mountains to find a mate. Evolutionary ecologist Nils Chr. Stenseth together with geneticists Kjetill Jakobsen and Eli Rueness at the University of Oslo in Norway, and colleagues from Canada and Sweden, performed a large-scale genetic analysis of the elusive cat throughout its North American habitat and found populations of genetically distinct animals. [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:41 PM Research indicates that the Rocky Mountains may be a barrier that prevents Canada lynx from breeding with populations on the other side of the mountain. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Image The data are not consistent with a conclusion that the Rocky Mountains are a barrier," he said. According to Mills, the data show very little genetic differentiation among lynx populations, "which implies considerable gene flow." Stenseth, however, said the differences between the populations are distinct enough to suggest the populations do not fully mix. He said this is particularly clear when comparing eastern populations, which are separated by distance and not a topographic feature such as a mountain range. "Distantly located populations are typically different because of them being distantly located from each other," said Stenseth. "In our case they are clearly more different, hence the observed differences are clearly real." Lynx Conservation According to Stenseth and colleagues, the genetic differences among the lynx populations correspond to ecological divisions between the populations. For example, populations in the wetter regions west of the Rocky Mountains are different than those in drier regions to the east. In turn, these populations are distinct from those in cold, snowy Maine. "Our study suggests that the Canadian lynx is genetically structured following ecological differentiation, which seems to be due to large scale climatic factors," said Stenseth, who was part of a team that published a paper in the August 13, 1999 issue of Science that found Canadian lynx populations were divided into three separate climatic regions. Based on the analysis of the genetic data, Stenseth concludes that conservation efforts for the Canadian lynx ought to be focused on these three distinct regions, classified as Pacific-maritime, Continental, and Atlantic-maritime. Mills, however, said that the data collected by Stenseth and colleagues "reflects high gene flow on a range-wide scale, underscoring the conservation recommendations that he and his colleagues made in 2002. "This data set is similar to ours in showing that connectivity is an important process for lynx," he said. "Therefore, in the U.S., it may be at least as important to focus on maintaining connectivity with the northern populations as it is to manage areas where lynx are currently found." Lori Nordstrom, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Helena, Montana, said the agency is required to use the best scientific information available when making conservation management decisions under the Endangered Species Act. The new study, she said, is a welcome contribution. "There is so little information on lynx genetics at this point that it is all new information," she said. Nationalgeographic.com Resources on Big Cats [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:42 PM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:42 PM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:43 PM Please click at link to see full screen picture http://thumb5.webshots.net/t/57/157/3/10/67/409131067oZvrQF_th.jpg LYNX AND CUBS March 25, 2007 1:14 PM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:43 PM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:44 PM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:44 PM The Canadian and Eurasian lynxes are both Least Concern, however the Iberian (or Spanish) lynx is Endangered. The population in estimated at 1200 in Spain and 100 in Portugal. They could decline 20 percent in the next 10 years due to habitat loss and reduced numbers of their main prey species, the European rabbit. The Canadian lynx is becoming very rare in the northern United States due to hunting, habitat destruction, and competition with the more aggressive bobcat. The Eurasian (aka Siberian) lynx is larger than the Canadian and more brown in coloration. Also highly dependent on rabbits, lynx populations closely follow those of rabbits. The European, Iberian, and Canadian lynxes are separate species, not subspecies. [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:45 PM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:45 PM June 09, 2007 12:47 PM Canada Lynx Common Name: Canadian Lynx Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata (Vertebrata) Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Felinae (Lynx) Species: canadensis Misc.: The debate continues whether or not the Canadian Lynx is in fact a separate species from the Eurasian (a.k.a. Siberian or Iberian) Lynx, or merely a sub-species. Experts are evenly divided on this subject, but for now, it remains a separate species based on its marked adaptive differences for prey capture. The name Lynx comes from the Greek word "to shine," and may be in reference to the reflective ability of the cat’s eyes. Sub-species: L.c. subsolanus – found in Newfoundland. Size and Appearance: The Canadian Lynx is considerably smaller than its Eurasian counterpart, approximately half the size. Its fur is usually white tipped, giving it a frosted appearance, and is only indistinctly spotted. The coat color ranges from a reddish-brown to gray, and also occurs in a rare "blue-lynx" which is the result of a genetic mutation. They have a flared facial ruff, black ear tufts, and long hind legs with a short tail. Their large, wide-spreading feet are covered in fur, which act like snowshoes, and are effective in supporting the cat’s weight on the snow. They are often confused with their smaller feline cousins the Bobcat, but can be easily distinguished by their tail tips. The tail of the Lynx looks as though it was dipped in an inkwell being black all the way around, whereas the Bobcat’s tail appears to have been painted black on top and white on the bottom. [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:45 PM June 09, 2007 12:48 PM Habitat: These Lynx are found in the broad boreal forest belt of North America. Distribution: Canada, Alaska, and the northern contiguous United States Reproduction and Offspring: After a gestation of approximately 63-70 days, females produce a litter of 1-8 kittens, with the average varying depending on the abundance of prey. They weigh 7-7.5 ounces at birth and will open their eyes at around 10-17 day, and begin to walk between 24-30 days. They are weaned between 3-5 months of age, and reach sexual maturity around 23 months. The number of offspring is directly related to the abundance of prey, as is the age of sexual maturity. When prey is very abundant, females will breed as early as 10 months. In the wild, Canadian Lynx have lived up to 15 years, and in captivity, up to 21. Social System and Communication: Solitary, except for females with offspring, or siblings who have just separated from their mothers who may travel and hunt together for several months before separating. [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:46 PM Hunting and Diet: Unlike any other cat – this Lynx depends solely and almost exclusively, on the snowshoe hare. No other predator has such a strong cyclic prey base to which it has become uniquely adapted – both behaviorally and physiologically. The snowshoe hare population peaks every 10 years, and with it, so does the lynx population. When the hare population decreases, so does the lynx population. While Lynx will change their prey base when hares are low to include small rodents, ground birds, and small ungulates, the overall Lynx population is still synchronous with the hare population. Principal Threats: Trapping continues to be one of the greatest threats for the Lynx, and as Lynx are easily trapped, when done during times of low numbers it makes recovery of the population extremely difficult. As is with every other feline population, these too face habitat loss due to destruction by humans. However bleak this sounds, the outlook for the Canadian Lynx is better and more promising than it is for many of the other feline species. Human kill over 11 million rabbits each year according to statistics provided from hunting license sales and kill reports. The snow shoe hare is the primary staple of the Canadian Lynx but due to over hunting their food supply is diminished. Hunters only comprise 6% of our population, but they kill over 100 million animals each year for sport. Status: CITES: Appendix II. IUCN: Not listed. Threatened as of 2000. Felid TAG 2003 recommendation: Canadian lynx (Lynx canadensis). Common in Canada and Alaska, this species is included in the RCP because of its educational and exhibitory value, especially for North American themes. The continental USA population has been proposed for threatened or endangered status by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since the 1970's but have been denied protection because it would interfere with road [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:47 PM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:48 PM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:49 PM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:49 PM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:50 PM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:51 PM The most distinctive features of the lynx are its tufted ears and cheeks and short tail, only 1.5-3 inches long. Sometimes confused with its smaller cousin the bobcat, the lynx may be distinguished by the tip of its tail, which is entirely black. Its coat varies over its European and Asian range, the spotted pattern fluctuating between pronounced and muted. “Lynx” is derived from a Greek work meaning “to shine,” presumably referring to its reflective eyes. A relatively small feline predator, males may weigh as much as 48 pounds and grow longer than 4 feet. The lynx will hunt prey three or four times its size like reindeer, but its main prey are smaller animals like hares, rodents, small deer, and birds such as grouse. A solitary and nocturnal creature, it stalks its prey alone or lies in wait. One may live as long as 17 years in the wild, 24 years in captivity. Once common in Europe, it was widely extirpated over much of the range, then reintroduced starting in the 1970s. The largest European populations are now in north Europe and the Balkans, the largest worldwide in southern Siberia. Little is known of the lynx in its wide central Asian range. The IUCN lists the species as Near Threatened, estimating the global population to be less than 50,000 breeding individuals. Like many predators, its decline is linked to loss of habitat and prey base. [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:51 PM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:51 PM Lynx Northern coniferous forests around the world are the habitat of this beautiful wild cat. Ten-year cycles of abundance of their principal prey species, snowshoe hare, leads lynx populations fluctuate dramatically in concert with hares. Lynx are proposed for listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the contiguous 48 states as a threatened species. - photographer, Larry Master [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:52 PM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:52 PM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:53 PM Astrid D. VIDEO OF LYNX July 03, 2007 12:24 PM Lynx, 23 sec, 160х120, 244Kb, DivX Video of lynx,23 seconds [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:53 PM Thank you Sid dear. And they are beautiful are they not? I have seen documentary on them and it is fascinating. Have agreat day and thanks again for all that you do not only with the lynx but all the other passionate Katz here of your wonderful group filled with such information always. Much love, Lestat [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:54 PM Astrid D. Lynx Sunday, 1:13 PM [ [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:54 PM [ send [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:54 PM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:55 PM [ [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:56 PM Lynx cub Thursday, 4:28 AM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:57 PM Short video of Lynx Thursday, 4:32 AM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:57 PM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	July 14, 2007 4:58 PM Astrid D. Lynx Thursday, 4:36 AM [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	December 31, 2007 7:51 PM World's Rarest Cat Species Boosted by Newfound Lynx John Roach for National Geographic News October 25, 2007 The world's most endangered cat species may be slightly less endangered than previously thought. A new population of Iberian lynx has been discovered in a remote area of Spain—raising the number of known populations from two to three—a conservation group reports. Enlarge Photo Printer Friendly Email to a Friend RELATED Spain Facts, Videos, Maps, Pictures Photos: Most Endangered Animals of 2007 Announced Photo: Rare Leopardess Killed—Only 6 Remain (April 23, 2007) The discovery increases the possibility that the heavily spotted cats can be rescued from the brink of extinction. The newfound population appears to roam private estates in the Castile la Mancha Province of central Spain, according to the international conservation group WWF. The two other known populations occupy isolated portions of Andalusia in southern Spain. WWF announced the discovery on Tuesday after local newspapers corroborated evidence of the cats' existence. The animals have been caught on film. "We are excited and amazed by this discovery," Luis Suárez, head of the organization's species program in Madrid, said in a statement. Information on the discovery comes from the local government, Suárez said in a telephone interview. But the cats may have originally been seen by private landowners who wish to remain out of the spotlight. Only between 100 and 150 Iberian lynx remain, including the new population, Suárez said. The World Conservation Union lists the species as "critically endangered," meaning it faces "an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild." Rare Cats Russia's Amur leopard and Japan's Iriomote cat have also been dubbed most endangered. But they are currently considered subspecies of leopards and leopard cats, respectively. This leaves the Iberian lynx, or Spanish lynx, with the dubious honor of being the most engangered cat species on Earth. Pablo Ferreras is a researcher who studies the ecology of the Iberian lynx with the Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC) in Ciudad Real, Spain [report anonymous abuse]
anonymous	December 31, 2007 7:52 PM World's Rarest Cat Species Boosted by Newfound Lynx << Back to Page 1 Page 2 of 2 He said the genetic and ecological biodiversity of the endangered cat makes it unique and a top conservation priority. "The loss of the Iberian lynx would mean the first loss of a felid species in the last 10,000 years," he said in an email. Enlarge Photo Printer Friendly Email to a Friend RELATED Spain Facts, Videos, Maps, Pictures Photos: Most Endangered Animals of 2007 Announced Photo: Rare Leopardess Killed—Only 6 Remain (April 23, 2007) Adult male Iberian lynx weigh up to 29 pounds (13 kilograms) and stand about 3 feet (1 meter) tall. Females are a few pounds lighter and a few inches shorter. The cats have long legs, short tails, and beard-like fur around their faces. Tufts of black hair crowns their pointed ears. Population Details Preliminary reports suggest the Castile la Mancha population is isolated and genetically distinct from the Andalusia populations. Such genetic diversity would be a boon to lynx conservation, Suárez noted. One of the problems with isolation is that a sequestered population—lacking infusions of mating partners from other populations—begins to inbreed more often. Inbreeding leads to a weaker gene pool, resulting in populations that are more prone to birth defects and generally less able to bounce back from ailments. "Having another [set of] genetic characteristics in another population will increase the possibility of survival," Suárez said. That's because it may enable researchers to increase the lynx's genetic diversity by crossbreeding animals from different populations. Ferreras of IREC cautioned that the Castile la Mancha population may just be an extension of the Andújar population, which is the largest known Iberian lynx group and resides in northern Andalusia. "It is very likely that some individuals disperse to southern Castilla-La Mancha [the region's Spanish name], where they can even settle down and breed," he said. This would still be good news from a conservation perspective, he added. But a distinct breeding population would be better. Lynx Threats Conservationists have been fighting a losing battle with the Andalusia regional government to close a highway that splits Doñana National Park, home to one of the remaining lynx populations, for example. Each year several of the cats are killed on the road. In addition, rabbits, lynx's primary prey, have declined by 80 percent over the last 50 years due to hunting and disease. Dam construction and agricultural development also take a toll, WWF said. "Perhaps [Castile la Mancha] will be a region that will be more into the conservation in a more committed way," Suárez said. [report anonymous abuse]
Glezela W.	March 18, 2009 9:08 PM The debate continues whether or not the Canadian Lynx is in fact a separate species from the Eurasian (a.k.a. Siberian or Iberian) Lynx, or merely a sub-specie. Experts are evenly divided on this subject, but for now, it remains a separate species based on its marked adaptive differences for prey capture. The name Lynx comes from the Greek word "to shine," and may be in reference to the reflective ability of the cat’s eyes. Zoological name: Lynx canadensis Species: The Newfoundland animals are sometimes considered to be a separate subspecies, F. (L.) c. subsolanus. Major populations of Canadian lynx are found throughout Canada, in western Montana and nearby parts of Idaho and Washington. There are small populations in New England and Utah and possibly in Oregon, Wyoming and Colorado as well. Presence on the planet: Major populations of Canadian lynx are found throughout Canada, in western Montana and nearby parts of Idaho and Washington. There are small populations in New England and Utah and possibly in Oregon, Wyoming and Colorado as well. Physical description: Canada lynx are easily recognizable cats with their black ear tufts, flared facial ruff, and very short tail. They can only be confused with the closely related bobcat Lynx rufus in the southern part of their range, however, a close look reveals a number of differences. The lynx has longer legs and broader footpads for walking in deep snow. Their ear tufts are longer, and the facial ruff is more developed. Their tail has a black tip, while the bobcat’s is more striped and white underneath. These two cat species seem to have divided the continent up between them, with the lynx in the northern forests and the bobcat being limited by snow depth to southern Canada, and through to Central Mexico. Diet: Canada lynx feed almost exclusively on snowshoe hares and have adapted to the cyclic availability of their prey. Snowshoe hare numbers peak every 10 years. As they then start to decline, so do lynx numbers after a two year lag. As the hare population decreases, fewer lynx reproduce and litter size decreases. When snowshoe hares are scarce, Canada lynx will also feed on small to medium-sized mammals and birds. They hunt by stalking or ambushing prey. Reproduction & Offspring: After a gestation of approximately 63-70 days, females produce a litter of 1-8 kittens, with the average varying depending on the abundance of prey. They weigh 7-7.5 ounces at birth and will open their eyes at around 10-17 day, and begin to walk between 24-30 days. They are weaned between 3-5 months of age, and reach sexual maturity around 23 months. The number of offspring is directly related to the abundance of prey, as is the age of sexual maturity. When prey is very abundant, females will breed as early as 10 months. Conservation status: Trapping continues to be one of the greatest threats for the Lynx, and as Lynx are easily trapped, when done during times of low numbers it makes recovery of the population extremely difficult. As is with every other feline population, these too face habitat loss due to destruction by humans. However bleak this sounds, the outlook for the Canadian Lynx is better and more promising than it is for many of the other feline species. Status: CITES: Appendix II. IUCN: Not listed. Threatened as of 2000. Life span: 15 - 21 years The word "Lynx" The word lynx comes from the Greek word ‘to shine’. This may refer to the reflective cells that assist cats to see at night by re-using light that has already passed through the eye chamber by reflecting it back a second time. They are mainly terrestrial and nocturnal, although they may also hunt during the day if prey is scarce. Lynx are thought to hunt mainly by sight and hearing, relying on smell to a lesser extent. They usually stalk their prey to within a few bounds before pouncing, but they are also known to wait in ambush for hours. Adult females and kittens have been observed to hunt co-operatively. Their main prey in all areas of their range is the snowshoe hare. [ send green star]