Lynx is a very beautiful predatory cat that lives in the taiga. These wild animals have not been fully studied by humans, they are secretive and cautious, and it is not so easy to get close to them. With such a character, it remains completely incomprehensible that they easily put up with human proximity, live near populated areas and are not even afraid to visit villages. In winter, they can freely use paths trodden by people. is very unusual, so it will be interesting to learn about how it lives in the wild, what it eats, how the lynx protects itself from enemies, how many kittens it gives birth to per year... All these questions can be answered by reading this article.

European lynx: description

How real cat, the lynx differs from other predators in its excellent ability to climb trees. She feels more comfortable among the branches than on the ground. This is facilitated by the structure of the animal's body. The lynx cat's body size resembles big dog. The body is short, dense, the tail is cut off. Paws are long and unusually developed strong muscles. The head is round in shape with cute “whiskers” on the sides, decorated with beautiful triangular-shaped ears, the tips of which have tassels. The muzzle is short with wide eyes. Body length - 85-110 cm, tail - about 25 cm, weight - approximately 10-15 kg.

The fur is very thick, long and soft, especially beautiful on the belly. The color of the lynx coat is simply beautiful: red with a bluish-silver or reddish tint. Brown specks are scattered on the back and sides; on the belly, the fur is white with sparse specks.

Characteristics of the lynx

The animal lives in mixed forests, especially likes to settle in heavily cluttered parts of the forest. Sometimes, when necessary, it can travel, climbing into the forest-steppe and tundra. The lynx is a very skilled hunter; the taiga gives her the opportunity to hunt to her heart's content. She always attacks from ambush. First, it chooses a convenient place and waits for suitable prey. A lynx can lie and wait, without moving, so as not to detect its presence, for hours. As a result, her efforts are almost always rewarded - the cat is provided with dinner or breakfast.

The predator is very careful, it is almost impossible to see it in the forest. During the day she rests in her den, and in the evening, when it begins to get dark, she goes out hunting. How does a lynx protect itself from enemies, because it is relatively small in stature and its weight is not impressive, like that of other predators? Nevertheless, it does this very well, because it climbs trees well, climbs rocks easily, swims well, and jumps far. To all of the above we can add that she has acute vision and keen hearing.

Diet of a predatory cat

The lynx's main prey is white hares, but the predator cannot cope with them alone. She will happily snack on a bird or rodent. Favorite foods are partridges, black grouse, squirrels and mice. In addition, the menu includes not very large ungulates, such as musk deer, roe deer, spotted and To prevent a lynx from being hungry, a twenty-kilogram individual requires about 3 kg of meat per day, and if the animal is too hungry, it can easily absorb as much as 6 kg.

Meat is meat, but the spotted predator also requires fresh fish, but the lynx can only feast on it in the spring, at that happy time when it spawns in shallow water. Then the cat can simply fill his paw with as many fish as his heart desires.

Reproduction

The mating season for lynx begins with the beginning of spring. Several suitors follow one female, they fight among themselves, meow loudly, and sometimes even scream furiously. When the female makes her choice, of course, preferring the strongest male who has distinguished himself in battles, the lynxes create their own family. The lovers sniff each other's noses, as if kissing, lick each other's fur and affectionately butt their foreheads.

Future parents together set up a family den, which is carefully lined with wool, feathers and grass. The place for the house can be a rock crevice, an earthen cave, or the inverted roots of a fallen tree.

Pregnancy lasts 62-70 days, after this period the family is replenished with 2-3 kittens. A lynx cub is born blind and deaf and weighs about 300 g.

Study hunting business small kittens begin seven days after they are born. Parents bring home a rodent or bird, but do not give it to the kids. The prey is hidden nearby, and the lynx cub begins to look for it. Every day mom and dad make his task more difficult. The result is an excellent hunter, in no way inferior to his parents.

How does a lynx protect itself from enemies?

The main enemy of the lynx is man. People hunt this animal for its beautiful fur and because the predator destroys a lot of livestock. How does a lynx protect itself from human enemies? When meeting, it tries to hide in a tree; the cat rarely attacks a person first. If the hunter does shoot, the wounded lynx becomes uncontrollable! She jumps on his chest and digs her fangs and claws deep into his body.

In winter, packs of wolves and wolverines are serious enemies of the lynx. It is still unknown why wolves hate lynxes so much. Either the meat is tasty, or there is competition from predators. If the lynx is mature and experienced, then it escapes from wolves in a tree, but sometimes a young cat cannot withstand a wolf siege under a tree and tries to escape. As a result, certain death awaits her; the wolves cut the lynx off from the trees and kill the fugitive who fell on her back. She will defend herself to the last with all four paws, but she will not be able to resist the pack.

Many habits and habits of a beautiful wild cat are inexplicable. The abilities of this animal are sometimes simply surprising!

1. The lynx’s habit of hiding its prey and never returning to it is completely inexplicable.
2. The tassels on the ears serve as a natural antenna for catching barely audible sounds.
3. The lynx is an amazing jumper, jumping up to 4-4.5 meters in length.
4. The Eurasian lynx can withstand temperatures down to -57 degrees.
5. The hind legs of a wild cat are 20% longer than the front ones, which gives it the ability to make stunning jumps.
6. A lynx can raise its tail and wag it like a dog. It is still not clear what mood makes a wild cat do this.

Etymology

The name is most likely related to the Proto-Slavic root lysь, in which under the influence of another Proto-Slavic root rysь(meaning “red, spotted”)

Appearance

The body length of the lynx is 82-105 cm and 70 cm at the withers. Typically, a lynx is the size of a large dog. Males often weigh between 20 and 30 kg, while females weigh an average of 20 kg, which is slightly larger than an ocelot. The body, like that of all lynxes, is short and dense. The paws are large and well furred in winter, which allows the lynx to walk on the snow without falling through. There are long tassels on the ears. The tail is short, as if chopped off.

There are many color variations of the lynx, depending on the geographical area - from reddish-brown to fawn-smoky, with more or less pronounced spotting on the back, sides and paws. On the belly, the hair is especially long and soft, but not thick and almost always pure white with sparse speckling. Southern forms are usually more red, their hair is shorter, and their paws are smaller.

The lynx's footprint is typically cat-like, without claw marks; the hind paws step exactly in the footprint of the front paws.

Spreading

The lynx is the northernmost of the cat species; in Scandinavia it is found even beyond the Arctic Circle. It was once quite common throughout Europe, but by the mid-20th century it was exterminated in most countries of Central and Western Europe. Successful attempts have now been made to revive the lynx population.

Lifestyle and nutrition

Lynx prefers dense dark coniferous forests, taiga, although it is found in a wide variety of plantations, including mountain forests; sometimes enters the forest-steppe and forest-tundra. She climbs trees and rocks very well and swims well. She also survives well in the snow (in the Arctic Circle), catching fur-bearing animals.

When there is an abundance of food, the lynx lives sedentary; when there is a shortage, it wanders. It can travel up to 30 kilometers per day. The basis of its diet is hares. She also constantly hunts grouse birds, small rodents, and less often small ungulates, such as roe deer, musk deer, sika and reindeer, and occasionally attacks domestic cats and dogs, in addition to foxes, raccoon dogs and other small animals.

Lynx hunts at dusk. Contrary to popular belief, she never jumps onto its prey from a tree, but prefers to watch for game in ambush or stealth, and then attack with large, up to 4 m, jumps. The victim is pursued at a distance of no more than 60-80 m, after which it runs out of steam. It is also known that the lynx kills foxes and martens, even if there is no need for food.

Despite all the caution, the lynx is not very afraid of people. She lives in secondary forests created by them, young forests, in old cutting areas and burnt areas; and in times of adversity it enters villages and even big cities.

According to Russian zoologist Mikhail Kretschmar, there is not a single confirmed case of a lynx attacking a person. “To some extent it’s even surprising. A leopard weighing thirty-five kilograms easily kills people. An adult male lynx can easily deal with trained shepherd dogs twice his weight. However, cases where a lynx deliberately concealed and killed a person are still unknown to us. Pseudo-taiga fabulists have devoted dozens of pages to cases of lynx attacks on a geological party, a commercial hunter, a lone prospector, a Komsomol shock member, etc. Reasoning impartially, it is difficult to reproach them: according to all physical indicators, a lynx seems to be able to attack a person. Maybe, but it doesn't attack. Moreover, the lynx is known as one of the most easily tamed animals. In particular, even adult lynxes caught in traps can be tamed. Sometimes they get used to a person to such an extent that they allow themselves to be picked up, and the purring of this huge cat resembles the hum of a powerful electric motor.”

However, it should be noted that not all scientists adhere to the point of view expressed by Mikhail Kretschmar. For example, one of the most famous and respected Russian zoologists, S.I. Ognev, wrote: “Cases of active lynx attacks on humans are rare, but still undeniable.” Similar views are held by other authorities in zoology, not to mention hunters and foresters, not “pseudo-taiga” at all, but real, genuine experts on forest predators. For example, Altai scientist and writer Alexander Stennikov claims that there have been and still are cases of lynx attacks on humans in his region. And these are not only those cases when a wounded or mad lynx attacks. Stennikov is well acquainted with a man whose father was killed by a lynx with the clear intention of using him as prey. When a man was walking along the path, the animal jumped from a tree onto his back and gnawed his carotid artery. That lynx was neither wounded nor rabid - rabid animals bite randomly and not at all with the intention of killing, but only obeying the blind call of the disease. Canadian zoologists Michael Standale and Steven Daryl also know cases of lynx attacks on humans. As for the issue of taming lynxes, everything here is also not at all clear. In fact, there are cases when tame lynxes live in houses and apartments all their lives and do not show the slightest aggressiveness towards their owners, however, trainers in circuses prefer to deal with tigers and lions, but performances with lynxes are very rare. Trainers say that the lynx is unpredictable to a greater extent than major representatives cat family, easily becomes angry and then poses a great danger to people. [ style!]

Social structure and reproduction

Young lynx

Lynx kitten

The lynx's rut ​​is in March, and at this time lynxes, usually silent, emit loud screams, purrs and meows. Pregnancy in females lasts 63-70 days. There are usually 2-3 little lynxes in a litter; their refuge is a lair under the upturned roots of a fallen tree, a hole, an earthen cave or a rock crevice. Both parents participate in raising kittens. The brood hunts with the adults until the next breeding season. Females reach sexual maturity at 21 months, males at 33 months. Life expectancy is apparently 15-20 years.

Population status and protection

Status of the lynx population in different countries:

• Balkan Peninsula: Several dozen lynxes in Serbia, Macedonia, Albania and Greece.
• Germany: Exterminated in the 1990s. repopulated in the Bavarian Forest and Harz.
• Carpathians: 2,200 lynxes from the Czech Republic to Romania; the largest population besides the Russian one.
• Poland: About 1000 lynxes in Belovezhskaya Pushcha and the Tatra Mountains.
• Russia: 90% of the lynx population lives in Siberia. Although lynxes are found from the western borders of the Russian Federation to Sakhalin.
• Scandinavia: Approx. 2,500 lynxes in Norway, Sweden and Finland.
• France: Exterminated approx. d. Inhabited in the Vosges and Pyrenees.
• Switzerland: Exterminated by the city, repopulated in the city. From here they migrated to Austria and Slovenia.
• Central Asia: China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
• Transcaucasia: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia.

Commercial significance lynx is small (fur is used). Like many predators, it plays an important selection role in forest biocenoses. Only in hunting farms where roe deer, sika deer, and pheasants are bred, its presence is undesirable. Lynx fur is excellent: thick, silky and tall. The length of the guard hairs on the back reaches 5 centimeters, and on the stomach - 7 centimeters, under which there is abundant soft underfur. The color of the skin varies from reddish to bluish tones with a spotted pattern. Lynx fur has always been highly valued. Since the 1950s, prices for it on the international market began to increase at an unprecedented speed. Thus, at the Leningrad fur auction in 1958, the best lynx skins fetched $73, in 1973 - $660, and in 1977 - $1,300. This is explained by the fashion that has persisted for decades (a fact in itself very rare) for long-haired fur, among which lynx fur took first place.

Subspecies

In art

• The lynx is widely used in heraldry, symbolizing completeness and sharpness of vision. Her image can be seen on the coats of arms or flags of cities such as Rezh or Gomel. According to some versions, it is the lynx, and not the lion, that is depicted on the coat of arms of Finland. The Ust-Kubinsky district of the Vologda region also has a lynx on the coat of arms.

• Due to its visual acuity, the constellation was named after the lynx by John Hevelius in 1690. Hevelius commented on the choice of name: “ In this part of the sky there are only small stars, and you need to have lynx eyes to distinguish and recognize them».

• The Ubuntu Linux distribution version 10.04 is called “Lucid Lynx”.

Siberian lynx is carnivorous mammal an animal belonging to the order "Predatory" and belonging to the family "".

The lynx can rightly be attributed to the most dangerous forest cats. Its preferred habitats are dense dark coniferous forests in the taiga.

Appearance

I have always admired this forest beauty; I have not seen her in the forests, but in zoos, I was able to observe this amazing animal.

Many people are interested in what animal is the lynx? In this section, we will try to answer the question posed. In appearance it can be compared to a tall adult dog; the lynx's body length is no more than 135 cm. The body is short and dense, the tail is short, about 45 cm. The head is small and has a rounded shape. Long hair, located on the sides of her face, may slightly resemble sideburns.

This cat has a short muzzle, wide eyes, and round pupils. Their paws are powerful and they have very formidable weapons. The cat's claws are unusually sharp, their length can reach ten centimeters, and are shaped like a curved hook. The ears are medium in size, and have long panicles on them.

The paws have powerful and thick black pads, which, during the harsh Siberian winter, become overgrown with short but at the same time thick hairs.

As a result, the sole of the animal's paws resembles the shape of skis; they are very useful, as they help the cat to easily press down snowdrifts by reducing the load on the loose support.

The colors of these beauties are very diverse, depending on their habitat. In the Siberian forests, the cat has a color from reddish-brown to dark smoky. In addition, its color is diluted by pronounced spotting along the top of the body and on the sides. The abdomen has long but sparse light-colored hair.

The weight of the Siberian lynx can reach up to 30 kilograms, but these are the rarest specimens; often this animal weighs from 18 to 25 kg. As for females, their weight is significantly less than that of males, and can hardly reach 18 kg.

If we compare its fur with other cats, then the lynx has the thickest and most valuable coat. On the top and sides of the body, the length of the hairs is up to 5 cm, and on the stomach the length can reach up to 7 cm.

Range and habitat

This cat species is recognized as the most northern species that has ever lived on Earth. In Scandinavia it can be found even beyond the Arctic Circle. Until the mid-twentieth century, its range was much wider, and the lynx could be found in Central and Western Europe.

In the second decade of the twentieth century, its numbers declined greatly, due to actions that directly began to influence the decline in the population of this species of animal. Poachers and amateurs carried out mass shooting of animals for wool and trophies.

Let's give a few countries where it remained to live and reproduce. European countries:

• Czech Republic;
• Hungary;
• Romania;
• Spain;
• Serbia;
• Sweden;
• Poland;
• Slovenia;
• Macedonia;

But this list is not complete; there are at least 10 more countries where it can be found. On the territory of Russia, it prefers to live on Sakhalin and Kamchatka; by the way, the lynx appeared here relatively recently. She really loves cluttered and dense coniferous forests.

Another wild cat can be found in the Caucasus and Central Asia, but in these places its population is very small. Concerning middle zone Russian Federation, then its habitat will look like this:

• Russia;
• Georgia;
• Estonia;
• Belarus;

In Ukraine, it can be seen in mountainous areas, such as the Carpathian Mountains. This animal also lives in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Lifestyle

The lynx animal prefers to live in the wilderness, dark forests. Also, forests located at higher elevations can become its place of residence. May wander into the forest-steppe or forest-tundra.

Our animal has several advantages that allow it to be at its best compared to other types of predatory animals. She climbs trees very well, runs fast, jumps far and swims well.

We previously wrote that it can live within the Arctic Circle and beyond it. In such places she feels great, the only thing that may not suit her is the lack of food in sufficient quantities.

The lynx leads a sedentary lifestyle only if there are plenty of small and large animals. Otherwise, it begins to migrate from one place to another in search of food.

Hunting

The lynx goes hunting in the dark. This fact completely destroys the myth that it jumps from a tree onto its prey. Tries to get as close to prey as possible, often trying to hide near a fallen tree or in dense bushes.

Choosing the most appropriate moment, usually this is a distance of 10 - 15 meters and instantly attacks, making jumps from 3 to 5 meters. Once caught in the paws and teeth of a predator, the prey dies within a few seconds.

Razor-sharp teeth and claws tear arteries in the neck and flesh of the animal, leaving no chance of salvation. Having eaten enough, she hides the remaining food in the snow or under small tree branches. A less fortunate hunter likes to follow the lynx - the wolverine, who is not averse to feasting on the remains of the prey.

If larger prey is being hunted, a surprise may await the wild cat. When it attacks a sika deer, it is able to drag a lynx on itself for several meters; sometimes the victim manages to escape from the tenacious clutches of the predator. But if you trust the statistics, in most cases, the cat kills its victim after some time.

Nutrition

The lynx's diet is very varied; it can consist of both rodents and artiodactyls. More often she likes to catch and eat various fish that live within her place of residence. In search of food, she can walk more than thirty kilometers per day.

In harsh winters, the animal can go to the outskirts of its property and attack domestic dogs and cats. I suggest you study the menu in detail wild beast. The most favorite food for this type of cat is: white hare, as well as:

• Roe deer;
• Musk deer;
• Bad deer;
• Foxes;
• Partridges;
• Raccoon dogs;
• Grouse;
• Beavers;

This list does not include all the animals that our heroine can eat.

The animal eats little; one caught hare can last it for 3-4 days. For a lactating female, this food is enough for one meal. A caught large artiodactyl animal can feed a single individual for more than 1.5 weeks.

Usually some, being well-fed, do not hunt until the main supply of food runs out, but a lynx during this period can unnecessarily kill a fox or marten. This is probably due to the fact that she sees these animals as obvious competitors. Since their diet is very similar.

The lynx animal performs one of the most important tasks, to exterminate weak and sick animals, preventing them from infecting healthy generations.

Reproduction

The breeding season for lynx begins in March. At this moment, they behave quietly, except occasionally, making menacing sounds and purring. A female can be followed by 2-3 males, who periodically arrange fights against each other.

Outside of breeding, they lead an exclusively solitary lifestyle.

Individuals who have formed a pair move on to the next stage, which is called “greeting.” First of all, they start sniffing each other's noses.

After this, perform a movement with your heads, which is more reminiscent of head-butting cattle. After some time, the cats mutually lick each other's fur.

The female's pregnancy lasts from 65 to 70 days. There can be from 2 to 5 babies in a litter. The female chooses the place before giving birth thoroughly; often these places can be: holes, cracks in rocks, ravines with holes and other safe places.

Lynx cubs are born blind, their weight does not exceed 350 grams. On the twelfth day after birth, babies' eyes begin to open. They feed on rich mother's milk; after a month, the female begins to feed the cubs solid food.

Both family members participate in raising offspring. When they grow up, they go hunting with their parents and this can continue until the next breeding season. Then, they leave their native lair to begin an independent solitary life.

Young males reach sexual maturity after 35 months, and females are ready to mate at 23 months.

Lifespan

Ordinary Siberian lynx in the wild it can live no more than 23 years.

1. Despite the fact that she leads a secretive lifestyle, she is not afraid of humans. But he won’t have time to attack either. Not one truthful, authoritative source says that the lynx specifically hunted a person in order to kill him.
2. A wild adult lynx can quickly get used to a person and even allow itself to be picked up.

The lynx is a typical cat, although the size of a large dog, which it partly resembles with its noticeably shortened body and long legs. The lynx's tail appears to be chopped off. But the head is very characteristic. It is relatively small, round and very expressive.

And when they talk about lynx cruelty, bloodthirstiness, as well as the mortal danger of meeting this beast for a person, but this is not true.

The soft, long and thick fur of the lynx in different areas of its range has different colors: ash-blue, fawn-smoky, gray-brown, red-red. The fur is almost always dotted with dark spots, large on the back and sides, small on the chest and legs. On the belly, the hair is especially long and soft, but not thick and almost always pure white with sparse specks. However, even in the same places you rarely see identically colored lynxes.

The summer fur of the lynx is coarser, shorter, and has a brighter coloring than the winter fur.

The body length of males is 76 - 106 centimeters and that of females is several (3 - 6) centimeters less. The tail is from 10 to 20 centimeters. The weight of adult animals is most often 16 - 20 kilograms. The paws are large and well furred in winter. No other cat is as well adapted to snow and cold as the lynx.

The animal's footprint is also typically feline, without claw marks. When moving at a walk, the trot places its hind leg in the wake of the front leg. If several lynxes are walking, then the rear ones step exactly in the tracks of the front ones, just like wolves and litters of tigers.

The lynx has a dense and strong body. In addition, she is very dexterous: she not only climbs trees and rocks beautifully, but also runs quickly, makes large jumps of up to 3.5 - 4 meters, makes long transitions, and swims well.

The movements of the lynx combine softness and grace, and its entire appearance speaks of strength and independence. But the animal is so secretive and cautious that rarely anyone manages to see it in the wild.

The lynx lives in various forests. It prefers deaf, quiet supports littered with impassable windbreaks, but does not avoid open forests. Occasionally found in low-growing forests with thickets of bushes, in forest-steppe, forest-tundra, mountain rocks, but most often in the zone of the southern low-mountain taiga, where it is not as snowy and cold as in the gloomy northern coniferous forests, and there are quite a lot of different animals that the lynx hunts . He loves mountain forests with rocky places.

In general, the lynx, like any predator, lives where there is enough food. Its diet is based on hares, roe deer, musk deer, chamois, aurochs, various birds (primarily hazel grouse and black grouse), rodents, as well as young deer, wild boar, and elk. Hunting through deep snow and crust, the lynx defeats large adult animals. On occasion, it catches squirrels, martens, sables, weasels, and raccoon dogs. The fox is viciously and decisively destroyed, even when there is no particular need for it. But he tries to avoid areas inhabited by wolves: a wolf is as dangerous and an implacable enemy for a lynx as a lynx is for a fox.

The lynx leads a predominantly sedentary lifestyle, but during severe frosts with deep snow, when it becomes not only cold, but also very hungry, it embarks on long journeys and often climbs into the steppe and tundra. Moreover, up to 30 kilometers pass per day.

For all its caution, the lynx is not very afraid of people. It also lives in secondary forests created by them, in young forests, in old cutting areas and burnt areas. In times of disaster, it enters both villages and large cities such as Tomsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, and Chita. They also saw her on the outskirts of Moscow and Leningrad.

The lynx molts twice a year - in spring and autumn, the spring molt is in April - May, the autumn molt - in November.

When they meet, lynxes perform a greeting ritual - after sniffing each other’s noses, they stand opposite and begin to butt their foreheads so hard that a bone sound is heard. Friendly affection is expressed in mutual licking of fur.

The lynx is the northernmost of the cat species; in Scandinavia, for example, it is found even beyond the Arctic Circle. In the northern regions, lynxes are large, long-haired, and not so noticeably spotted. The main color of lynxes is from reddish to grayish-yellow, with northern lynxes covered with a vague grayish coating. IN southern regions Animals, as a rule, are smaller, their hair is short, and more brightly colored. Black spots stand out noticeably against the background of light fur. First of all, this is what the red lynx looks like, which today is still found on the Iberian Peninsula, and was once found in Sardinia. Let us note in passing that the word “once” too often has to be used in relation to the lynx, because in many European countries it was completely or almost completely exterminated. Nowadays it is found only in Russia, Scandinavia, Finland, some regions of Poland and the Czech Republic, as well as in Spain. There are no strict boundaries between the southern and northern forms. The color transition occurs gradually.

The lynx rut begins at the end of February and lasts about a month. In general, this animal loves loneliness and is not inclined to communicate with its own kind, but during the mating season these inclinations break down. The female is usually followed by several males, constantly fighting among themselves. Being generally silent animals, during the rut they purr and meow loudly and sharply, and when very excited they scream furiously. Females meow deeply, males rumble dully. In the silence of the night, these sounds produce an eerie impression on a person. At this time, males stage fierce fights. Pregnancy lasts 63-70 days.

In May, a lynx gives birth to 2 - 3 cubs (very rarely one or four). They are very helpless, blind and deaf, and weigh only a quarter or a third of a kilogram. For the offspring, the mother makes a den in a remote part of the forest, somewhere under an invert, in a hollow, in a cave, carefully lining it with feathers, wool, and grass. It is warm and dry. The first two months of their lives, lynx cubs grow rapidly and develop on their mother's milk. Then they begin to leave the nest with their mother and get acquainted with the complex life of the forest. Adults bring them live mice, voles, and hares. They patiently teach how to get them, touchingly and selflessly protecting the animals from all adversity.

The cubs' eyes open after 16-17 days. When they are one month old, they begin to eat solid food, however, they are fed on mother's milk for another four months. The hunting instinct awakens at an early age. The cubs, about forty days old, are already trying to sneak up on their “prey” and attack it. Females reach sexual maturity at 21 months, males at 33 months. Life expectancy is apparently 15-20 years.

The male helps the mother feed and raise the offspring. The cubs grow quickly, already in October it is difficult to distinguish them from their parents, and the lynxes begin to hunt in families. The brood stays together all winter, breaking up at the beginning of the new rut, when the adults, as if not wanting to show their family scandals and fights, drive the young ones away. At the age of one year, the young animals finally move on to independent life.

Lynx is an excellent hunter. During the day, she usually lies in her den, and with the onset of dusk she becomes active. Easily climbing trees and rocks, she chooses a convenient place from which everything around is clearly visible, and patiently waits for the victim to appear. The trot's endurance is worthy of respect. For hours, sometimes even days, she can lie motionless in ambush. Thanks to its camouflage coloring and complete immobility, it is very difficult to notice, but it sees everything from above. Possessing extremely fine hearing and surprisingly sharp vision, the lynx detects its prey from afar. Its throws are lightning fast and almost always accurate, and the fight even with a large animal does not last long: the lynx’s teeth and claws are huge and very sharp.

But prey does not often come to the ambush site, so the predator much more often has to use a more active method of hunting: stealth. A lynx walks through the forest completely silently, literally merging with the background of the area. Listens to the slightest rustle, sniffs all the smells. He uses every opportunity to hide his tracks, climb onto fallen trees, walk along them, and look around from above. Having discovered a fresh trail or seen prey, it very patiently sneaks up on it. If the first throws are unsuccessful, it pursues the fleeing victim with large jumps. Most often, the success or failure of a hunt is decided by the first ten to fifteen attack jumps.

In the fall, when the young animals are already strong, lynxes hunt in families, and parents teach their children. Predators collectively “comb” the forest, organize driven hunts and small raids.

During the night, a lynx usually travels 6 - 8, sometimes 10 - 15 kilometers. She travels around her hunting area on certain routes in 5 to 10 days. He knows perfectly where, when and who to hunt. She met, caught her next victim, ate, hid the remains of the meal and went to bed somewhere nearby. Often right in the snow.

Among hunters - and scientists too! - It is widely believed that lynx eat little. But it turned out that a medium-sized male, weighing 18 - 20 kilograms, eats about 2.5 - 3 kilograms of meat per day in winter, and when hungry - up to 5 - 6. A lynx eats no less meat per unit of its weight than, say , wolverine or leopard.

I have both read and heard that the lynx is a gourmet, eats only fresh meat, never returning to the abandoned meat. Comes back all the time! He even eats frozen or sour meat! Of course, when the hunt is poor and there is no fresh food.

The lynx, like most predators, when given the opportunity, crushes animals more than it needs.

In unfavorable conditions for the ungulates, say, in a lot of snow or crust, a lynx can kill a roe deer or musk deer every day, eating only the most delicious and throwing away the rest. Sometimes 2 - 3 roe deer a day crush! Up to twenty to thirty during the winter! Of course, this is not a system.

Lynx rarely attacks domestic animals. Only a wounded and hunted lynx is capable of rushing at a hunter. Her attitude towards people is quite strange. In the forest, she always avoids him, although she is not afraid, but at the same time, sometimes carelessly, even impudently, she comes into populated areas, breaks into sheepfolds, barnyards, and hunts dogs. Or he comes to a taiga winter hut, knowing that a hunter lives there, and climbs onto the roof for meat. What makes this very cautious animal go to people to die is unknown.

North American lynx - Lynx canadensi - lives in wooded areas of Alaska, Canada, and California (USA). This type of lynx is half the size of the Eurasian lynx, its weight is 8-14 kg, body length is 86-117 cm, height at the withers is 60-65 cm. Like all lynxes, the Canadian species has long fur on the sides of the muzzle, black tassels of fur on the ears and a short tail with a black tip.

The fur color is reddish, with white markings scattered across the main background, which give the impression of being dusted with snow. There are no spots, and if there are, they are light and difficult to distinguish in the main color. On the back of the black ears there is white spot, like many cats. There is an unusual “blue lynx” color, in which the fur is very light, almost white. The lynx has long legs and wide feet.

The North American lynx is easily distinguished from short-tailed cats by its tail: its entire tail tip is black, while in cats the tip is black only on top, and the lower part of the end of the tail is white. The lynx also has wider feet, thicker fur on the face, paws longer length, the tassels on the ears are also longer. The lynx feeds exclusively on hares, therefore it is found in the habitats of hares; the size of the lynx population is completely dependent on the growth or decline in the number of hares. In addition to the main diet are small rodents, red deer, and other animals, but the main diet is hares.

The Canadian lynx is diurnal and also hunts during the day. They prefer to live alone, except for the period when females have offspring. After a pregnancy of 63-70 days, the female gives birth to 1-8 kittens, and their number depends on how much food the mother has. Their eyes open on days 10-17, and on days 24-30 they can already leave the den. The mother feeds them with milk for 3-5 months; young lynxes reach sexual maturity at the age of 23 months, but they can begin breeding as early as 10 months when there is an abundance of food. In natural conditions they live up to 15 years.

Canadian lynxes are endangered due to the destruction of their habitats. Many lynxes fall into traps; these animals are hunted and their fur is valued. :(These animals are listed in II CITES, it is believed that their number is no more than 2000.

There is an opinion among experts that the lynx living in Newfoundland should be considered a separate subspecies - Lynx canadensis subsolanus.

The red lynx - Lynx rufus - lives in North America from southern Canada to southern Mexico and from the east to west coasts of the United States. Occurs as in subtropical forests, and in arid desert areas, swampy lowlands, coniferous and deciduous forests, as well as in human habitats. Outwardly, it is a typical lynx, but smaller, half the size of the Eurasian lynx, body length 76.2-127 cm, height at the withers 53.3 cm, weight 5.8-14 kg, legs somewhat shorter, paws not so wide, smaller tassels ears and lighter color. It is called a bobcat, or short-tailed cat.

Unlike true lynxes, the bobcat has a white marking on its inside black tip of the tail, whereas in lynxes it is completely black. Like everyone else wild cats they have black ears with a white spot at the back - flattened ears indicate the cat's aggressive mood, which it signals to its opponent. The coat color is reddish-brown or light gray, the belly is white, there are black spots on the paws, and black markings on the muzzle. Southern bobcats have more black markings than their northern counterparts. There are lynxes that are completely black (melanistic) and white (albinos), with the former found only in Florida.

The red lynx breeds between February and June. After a pregnancy lasting 50-70 days, the female gives birth to 1-6 cubs. They weigh less than half a kilogram at birth. Both parents take care of the offspring, which they feed for 3-4 months, and five-month-old lynxes already go hunting with their mother. At 9 months, the young leave their mother and go in search of their hunting territory. At 12 months, females become sexually mature, males at 24 months. The lynx feeds mostly on small mammals: rodents such as voles, squirrels and rabbits, but sometimes attacks birds (wild turkeys, domestic chickens) and even white-tailed deer. It hunts by tracking and lying in wait for its game, which it attacks from cover. The natural enemies of the red lynx are big cats: jaguars, pumas and large lynxes. They are the subject of hunting. :(

There are subspecies:
Lynx rufus rufus - in the northeastern and central United States,
Lynx rufus baileyi - in the southwestern United States,
Lynx rufus californicus - in California, Nevada,
Lynx rufus escuinapae - in Central Mexico,
Lynx rufus fascinatus - in British Columbia,
Lynx rufus floridianus - in the southern regions of the USA,
Lynx rufus gigas - in Maine,
Lynx rufus pallescens - in the Rocky Mountains,
Lynx rufus peninsularis - on the Baja Peninsula, California,
Lynx rufus superiorensis - in the northwestern and central parts of the United States,
Lynx rufus texensis - in Texas and Northern Mexico.

The Spanish or Iberian lynx - Lynx pardinus - lives in the forested mountainous regions of southwestern Spain (most of the animals inhabit the Coto Donana National Park), several very small populations have been found in Portugal.

There is a great external resemblance between the Spanish lynx and its relatives from Eurasia, with the exception that the Spanish lynx is half their size. Its weight is 15-25 kg, and its body length is 85-110 cm. In addition, it is lighter in color, and its spots are more contrasting. Like its relatives, the Spanish lynx has long fur that frames the sides of the muzzle, black tufts on the ears, a short tail, black at the end, and wide paws.

It feeds mostly on hares and rabbits, but its diet includes deer, ducks and fish. The number of lynx is limited by the amount of their main food, since the population of European hares in Lately decreased significantly due to unfavorable environmental situation and diseases.

The Spanish lynx - Lynx pardinus prefers a solitary lifestyle; it is active at night, and in winter, on the contrary, during the day. Pairs form only during the mating season, which occurs in January. Pregnancy lasts 60 days. There are three cubs in the litter. The mother feeds them milk for 5 months, and at the age of 7-10 months they are ready to start independent life, however, they continue to live in the mother’s possessions until the age of 20 months. They become sexually mature only at 3 years of age. By this time they have acquired their own territory; females do not form pairs with a male, who has no territorial possessions. Lifespan under conditions wildlife up to 13 years old.

This species of lynx is one of the rarest mammals on earth and is listed on CITES Appendix I, as well as on the IUCN lists, in Category 1 (Endangered Animals). The main sources that were used in compiling this story about LYNX:

Young Naturalist 1988
Newspaper "Bird Market" 1995 - 9

Origin of the species and description

Lynxes are ancient animals. The evolution of their genus has been going on for more than 4 million years. Common lynx, also known as Eurasian lynx. descended from the common ancestor of the lynx genus - Issoire Lynx (Issoire lynx). This is a large mammal of the cat family. This cat has a unique appearance - its body is short, and its powerful legs are quite long.

Lynx belongs to the subfamily Felinae, which means Small cats. Their main feature is the hardening of the hyoid bone, which prevents the animal from growling loudly. But this cat can make subtle squealing sounds that are similar to the roar of a bear. Well, a lynx can purr and meow, like any cat.

Video: Lynx

Lynxes are incredibly beautiful. They are so stuffed with fur that it sticks out even between the pads of their fingers. In winter, their legs become especially fluffy, this helps the cat to easily walk on a thick layer of loose snow and not fall through. The front legs are shorter than the hind legs. They have 4 fingers. And on the hind legs there are 5 of them, but one pair is reduced. Lynxes are digitigrade, like all cats.

They have very sharp, curved retractable claws, so these animals are excellent at climbing trees and rocks. They move in steps or at a cat's trot, sometimes making jumps 3-4 m long, but quite rarely. They are capable of reaching speeds of up to 65 km/h, although only for a short time. But in general, these cats cover decent distances. They are also excellent swimmers.

The tail of an adult lynx can be from 10 to 30 cm, which is considered an unenviable length for a cat. The tip of the tail is blunt, usually black, but white is also common. The weight of the common lynx is about 20 kg. Occasionally there are individuals weighing up to 25 kg. Males, as expected, are larger than females.

Appearance and features

The head of these cats has several characteristic features. On the sides there are so-called sideburns - elongated sections of fur. Another sign is the famous tassels on the ears. The lynx has powerful narrow jaws and a large wide nose. On the upper lip there are several rows of vibrissae, hard and long.

The lynx's muzzle itself is short. Her eyes are large, sand-colored, with round pupils. Her fur is simply excellent - soft, thick and very tall. In the belly area, the fur is especially long and white, with small specks. The color of the lynx varies from fawn-smoky to rusty-red. It all depends on the geographical area where it lives - the further south it is, the more red the lynx is.

Spotting can be more or less pronounced. As a rule, spots are concentrated on the back, sides and head of the cat. On the belly there are sparse spots, where the fur is almost always pure white. Shedding occurs twice a year. The lynx's summer coat is coarser and darker than its winter coat. The specks are much more clearly defined in summer. The tassels on the ears are always dark in color and are 4 cm long.

The lynx has excellent hearing, and this is not least due to its tassels. During a hunt, a cat is able to hear even the most fleeting sounds. For example, she can hear crunching branches from 100 meters away. Her vision is also well developed, the lynx can distinguish colors and even the degree of their brightness! But the cat’s sense of smell is rather weak, but if the trail is fresh, it will easily track the prey.

Where does the lynx live?

The lynx lives in rugged forests where there is a lot of prey. In sparse forests or bush thickets it is much less common. This cat is also found in mountains and cactus thickets. On open area the lynx will never settle. In general, she tries to stay as far away as possible in the territories she inhabits.

The common lynx lives only in the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth. Its habitat extends almost throughout Scandinavia, Europe, to the east and north of Russia, and further to Central Asia.

Countries where the common lynx is found:

• Balkan Peninsula: Serbia, Macedonia, Albania;
• Germany;
• Carpathians: from the Czech Republic to Romania;
• Poland;
• Belarus;
• Ukraine;
• Russia;
• Scandinavia: Norway, Finland, Sweden;
• France;
• Switzerland;,
• Transcaucasia: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia;
• central Asia: China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan;
• Baltics.

Among the whole family feline lynx common - the most cold-resistant animal. It is found even beyond the Arctic Circle, in Scandinavia. Once upon a time this animal could be seen in any part of Europe. But by the middle of the 20th century it was almost completely exterminated in Central and Western Europe.

Today they are trying to restore the population of these cats, and very successfully. However, it is scarce everywhere. In Russia, 90% of lynxes live in Siberian coniferous forests, although they are found from the western borders of the country to Sakhalin itself.

What does a lynx eat?

If there is a lot of food in the area, the lynx leads a sedentary lifestyle. Otherwise, she has to roam in search of food.

The basis of a lynx's diet usually consists of:

• grouse birds;
• small rodents ();
• foxes;
• raccoon dogs;
• occasionally small ungulates: roe deer, northern and;
• rarely domestic cats and dogs.

The lynx hunts, contrary to all ideas about it, not by jumping on its prey from a tree, but by lying in wait for it on the ground. Ambush is the cat's favorite hunting method. She also likes to secretly get as close to the victim as possible, and then rush at her with lightning speed, so to speak, to hide her. A lynx can hide behind stumps and trunks of fallen trees, and it attacks by making huge jumps, 4 m long.

It does not pursue its prey for long; as soon as it runs 60-80 m, the cat runs out of steam. But this is most often enough to catch a gaping animal. If the attack is unsuccessful, the angry lynx will make a couple of more jumps in pursuit and stop. Sometimes a predator kills small fur-bearing animals just for fun.

It strikes a large victim in the front part of the body, grabs the throat or neck with its claws, bringing excruciating pain to the animal. A wounded animal can carry a cat for some time until it becomes exhausted. The lynx does not eat much meat at one time; it hides the bulk of it in reserve.

So killed roe deer adult enough for 4 days - almost two weeks, and a hare - for only 2-3 days. Cats are not very good at hiding prey; they quickly cover it with snow and leaves. Therefore, small animals often take it away before the cat herself returns to feast on the remnants of the feast.

Features of character and lifestyle

Lynx is night Hunter. She hides during daylight hours, and at nightfall she comes out of her hiding place. As a place to rest, the lynx often chooses other people's holes, foxes or. If they are not there, any crevice in the rock, hole, branch will do tall tree or impenetrable thicket. The lynx approaches its resting place carefully so as not to leave traces; it jumps there from afar, thus imitating its absence.

This animal survives well in the snow if there is enough prey there. Thanks to its spotted coat, the lynx can easily hide in the treetops at dusk or at dawn. The play of sun glare allows the predator to disguise its bright fur from its prey.

The lynx is a cautious animal, but it is not too afraid of people. It often settles in secondary forests created by human hands. In hungry years, the cat even comes to the villages and small towns. The predator does not attack people only if it is wounded or protecting kittens. Although it can cause significant harm, because it has powerful claws and jaws.

The lynx is considered a harmful predator, although, like the wolf, on the contrary, it brings benefits by killing sick and weak animals. Russian zoologists claim that there are no known cases of lynx attacks on people. And this is surprising, because an adult male can easily tear apart a trained shepherd dog that is twice his weight.

According to all physical data, a lynx may well attack a person, but does not do so. On the contrary, there were cases when the lynx was easily tamed by humans. Having been rescued from a trap, the cats became so comfortable among people that they willingly walked into their arms and purred with the roar of the engine.

Social structure and reproduction

Lynxes have a solitary lifestyle. However, at the end of February the rutting period begins, and all individuals begin to look for company. Usually silent cats begin to meow a lot, purr and squeal. During estrus, several males can follow the female at once. Which often provokes violent fights between them.

When the female chooses a mate, they begin to show each other signs of attention: when they meet, they “butt” their foreheads, sniff their noses. But the greatest manifestation of feelings is licking the fur of your partner. In the den, where the lynx cubs will soon appear, the bottom is carefully lined. To do this, the female uses bird feathers, ungulate hair and dry grass.

Pregnancy is short - only 60-70 days; the brood appears at the end of April - May. Usually 2-3 kittens are born, weighing 250-300 g. They are deaf and blind. All care for the offspring is the mother's business. She makes sure they are warm, cleans the bedding, licks and feeds the lynx cubs, and drives predators away from the nest.

Babies feed on mother's milk for two months, and after this period they begin to develop teeth. After this, they can already pat the meat that the mother brings, but milk still continues to play an important role in their diet. At three months, the babies leave the nest and go everywhere with the female.

Kittens at this time do not yet look exactly like their mother. Their fur is light brown, with a small number of specks. And they will only develop tassels and sideburns by the age of one and a half years. The family will be inseparable until the next rutting period. Then she herself will leave the lynxes, but they will still stick together for some time.

If pregnancy does not occur the next year, the female can live with the kittens this entire year until they become fully grown. Lynx reach sexual maturity at 1.5-2 years. The overall lifespan of a cat is about 15 years. In captivity they can live up to 25 years.

Natural enemies of the lynx

In addition to the man who has been exterminating the lynx for many years, it also has natural enemies.

First of all, these are all the other big cats:

• jaguars;
• cougars;
• Canadian lynxes.

In winter, especially in hungry years, a pack of wolves poses a significant danger to a lone cat. They surround their prey and mercilessly tear them to shreds. If a lynx meets a wolf one on one, it has every chance of defeating it, but against an entire pack it is powerless.

In a battle for prey, a lynx may be defeated by a tiger or snow leopard. They can enter into a fight with it for prey already killed by the cat, and often the lynx flees to similar situations. For the same reasons, wolverines are considered its enemy. The animals, although small, are very annoying to the cat; they are able to drive away a larger predator from their own prey.

But small lynx cubs can become prey for literally any predator that is larger than them. Not only foxes, wolves and other cats try to climb into the family nest, but also bears. However, the female rarely leaves her kittens; she fiercely protects them from any uninvited guests.

Population and species status

Lynx is a long-standing object of the fur trade; the thirst for its valuable fur still excites the hearts of poachers and hunters. For centuries, the skins of these noble cats were used for hats and fur coats. Yes, and people did not like lynxes, despite the fact that they rarely touched domestic animals, as well as people themselves. All this led to total extermination.

In many European countries, the common lynx is rare view. Even with protection and restoration efforts, this geographic race is in danger of extinction. This species is listed in the Moscow Red Book and is assigned the 1st degree. Since near the southern border of the Moscow region this animal is on the verge of extinction.

However, in general, lynx is found quite often in Russia. In other countries the situation is completely different. There are only a few dozen individuals on the Balkan Peninsula. In Germany, the Bavarian Forest and Harz were reintroduced by these animals at the beginning of the 20th century.

The largest population, besides the Siberian one, is located in the Carpathians. There are about 2200 individuals there. In Belarus, 1000 lynxes live in Belovezhskaya Pushcha and Tatrakh. Almost 2,500 animals are found on the Scandinavian Peninsula. In France, lynxes were also exterminated and in 1900 they were reintroduced to the Pyrenees and Vosges. Switzerland was reintroduced by common lynxes in 1915, and from there they spread to Austria and Slovenia.

Lynx protection

Number predatory cats is declining not only due to mechanical extermination, but also due to the destruction of its habitats: deforestation, extermination of game.

Measures to preserve the lynx population are:

• Strict regulations for hunting these animals;
• Preservation of biotopes in their original form;
• Caring for the conservation of its food resources: hares, roe deer;
• Reducing the number of wolf packs;
• Active fight against poaching with snares, which often trap lynxes.

Graceful long-legged animal lynx, attracts attention and fascinates. It is not for nothing that in ancient times it was a totem animal among the Slavs. Some sources even talk about the similarity of the words “lynx” and “Rus”. In Gomel this forest cat is still the main symbol of the city. Dangerous and fast, but not without grace and elegance, this cat is of great scientific interest. Preserving such a beautiful animal and increasing its population is the primary task of man today.