Eurasian Lynx

The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is a medium-sized wild cat found across Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Siberia. It inhabits forests up to 5,500 m in elevation, but is threatened by habitat loss, poaching, and prey depletion.

This lynx has a short, reddish-brown coat with variable black spots; the fur is thicker and varies in color in winter. As the largest lynx species, males range from 76–106 cm in body length and weigh between 12 to 32 kg.

Eurasian lynx prefer rugged terrain with good cover for hunting. They are primarily nocturnal or crepuscular and may inhabit areas as large as 450 km². Their hunting range depends on local prey availability, and they are solitary adults.

These lynx are ambush predators, stealthily stalking their prey using sight and sound. They have a varied diet that includes hares, deer, rabbits, and other mammals. While they can take on large prey, such as deer, they prefer ungulates, especially in winter when smaller prey is scarce.

The mating season of the Eurasian lynx occurs from January to April, with females entering oestrus for four to seven days, and sometimes a second oestrus if the first litter is lost. Gestation lasts 67 to 74 days, and pregnant females create secluded dens lined with bedding materials. At birth, kittens weigh 240 to 430 g and open their eyes after ten to twelve days. They have greyish-brown fur and begin eating solid food at six to seven weeks, but are not fully weaned until five to six months. The den is abandoned two to three months after birth, but kittens stay with their mother for about ten months. Lynx reach sexual maturity at two to three years and can live up to twenty-one years in captivity. Typically, females have two kittens, with litters of more than three being rare.

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