Canada Lynx
Scientific Name
Lynx canadensis
Class
Mammalia
Order
Carnivora
Habitat
Forests and grasslands
Estimated Wild Population
n/a
Endangered Status Graph - Least Concern Endangered Status Graph - Least Concern

More Information

Canada lynx have long and dense fur, triangular ears with black tufts at the tips, and snowshoe-like paws. Their back legs are longer than the front legs, causing their back to slope downward to the front. They can reach nearly two feet tall and weigh up to 35 pounds. These felines are good swimmers and agile climbers. Specialist predators, Canada lynxes almost exclusively hunt snowshoe hares, and they mainly hunt at night when their prey is most active. Individual lynx, particularly of the same sex, tend to avoid each other, forming “intrasexual” territories..

Did You Know?

Lynx stay in the same territory all year and have to find food in the winter.

The tufts on their ears may aid their hearing or help them detect objects above their head.

Their large paws act like snowshoes and keep them from sinking into the snow when they hunt.

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