Mammal Web Page


The Canadian Lynx
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Felidae
Genus:	Lynx
Species:	canadensis

(www.nwf.org/ecards/ createCard.cfm?id=186)

Description

Lynx fur is basically grayish in color, but it can also be yellowish or rust-colored. Most lynxes have black spots covering their bodies. However, these spots are not always clearly visible. There are long tufts of black hair on the tips of their ears and around the sides of their faces. They also have short, black-tipped tails.

(hazelh.best.vwh.net/assets/ images/pcanlynx.jpeg)

Habitat

The Canadian Lynx likes to live in older, mature forests with downed trees and ledges that provide cover, den sites and protection from severe weather. In the Great Lakes area and the northeastern U.S., the lynx habitat usually in a forest that is a mix of evergreens and hardwoods. In the Rocky Mountains and the Cascade Mountains, the live in the spruce/fir forests of the high mountains.

Range

Major populations of the Canadian Lynx are found throughout Canada, in western Montana and Idaho, as well as in Washington. There are small populations in New England, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, and possibly Oregon.

(mountain-prairie.fws.gov/ endspp/lynx/)

Food

Canadian Lynxes are strictly carnivores. Their favorite meal is the snowshoe hare, but they also eat rodents, birds and fish. In the fall, the lynx will kill and eat deer. To hunt down and kill a deer, they will stalk the animal and attack while it is bedded down. They will attack by jumping on the back of the deer and give a sharp bite to the neck, choking the animal. If the Canadian Lynx cannot consume the animal at one sitting, they will store the animal for other meals.

Life Cycle

After breeding, the female Canadian Lynx has a gestation period 8-10 weeks long. After being born, kittens can walk at about 27 days old, and are weaned at 3-5 months. The become independent at 10 months. Females can be ready to breed after 10 months old if food is available.

(www.canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/ .../Lyn_lyn.htm)

Survival

The Canadian lynx needs a deep, coniferous forest inter-spread with rocky areas, bogs, swamps or thickets. They also need an steady supply of food. This might be deer, rabbits, birds, or anything else they can find. Hunting for the lynx must not happen out of season. If done, their population will grow very weak.

(home.pacifier.com/~wildones/ Residents/Lynx/l12.jpg)

Facts

1. One Lynx can consume up to 200 hare in one year!

2. During the winter about 75% of the lynx's diet is the snowshoe hare.

3. The lynx has very large, snowshoe like feet which help it travel through deep snow.

Human Impact

One negative impact that humans have on the Canadian Lynx is that they are being killed for their beautiful fur coat. This helps decrease the population of the mammal dramatically. It takes many lynxes to make a full coat.

A positive impact that human life has on the Canadian Lynx is that people are trying harder to preserve the species by creating safe havens for the animals. This approach to have protected areas in the wild, or maybe a preserve will help.

References

www.enature.com

"Lynx" World Book Encyclopedia, 2002., Vol. #12, pg. 536

Fox, David L. "Lynx canadensis" 17 October 2002. 28 January 2003. <http://animaldiversity.umich.edu/accounts/lynx/l._canadensis.html>

Description	Habitat	Range	Food	Life Cycle
Survival	Facts	Human Impact	References	Links