Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis)

Special Segments Butterflies of North America Conifers of North America Eastern Birds List of N.A. Insects Home Eastern Wildflowers General Topics Natural History Ecology Family Environment Evolution Home Education Home Conservation Geophysics Paleontology Commercial Organizations

Canada Lynx (Felidae: Lynx canadensis)

The Canada Lynx is one of the most splendid animals of North America and shares with the Gray Wolf the title of master of the Northern Boreal Forest. The Canada Lynx occurs throughout the Northern Boreal Forest extending southward into the transition zone between the Taiga and the Eastern Deciduous Forest in New England. The Canada Lynx is also found in the Cascade and Rocky Mountains in the western United States. The Lynx, however, is primarily a Taiga animal.

Identifying Features: The Canada Lynx is gray or gray tinged with brown. The ears have distinctive tufts of black hair and the paws are gigantic relative to the rest of the body, possibly an adaptation for walking on snow. The tail is short and gray with a black tip. Body length is from 2.5 to 3 feet.

Similar Species: The Canada Lynx is a close relative of the Bobcat from furthern south. The Bobcat (Lynx rufus) (see figure below) occurs throughout most of the United States, but barely reaches the southern limit of the Canada Lynx's range. The Bobcat is smaller than Canada Lynx (2 to 2.5 feet in length) and usually has a more distinctly orangish color. The Bobcat's tail is also tipped with black, but the black is confined to the top half of the tip. The tail is almost twice as long in the Bobcat as it is in the Canada Lynx.

Habitat: The Canada Lynx is found in the forests and marshes of the Northern Boreal Forest.

Food: Small mammals and birds make up the diet of the Canada Lynx, but the Snowshoe Hare makes up a large proportion of the animals captured.

Behavior: The Canada Lynx is nocturnal and solitary. The huge feet allow it to walk and run on snow during the winter. The cats create dens in hollow logs, beneath tree roots, and other sheltered places. The hunting range of a Canada Lynx is very large, up to 50 miles or more. Populations of the Canada Lynx vary enormously from year to year with a peak population every 10 years of so.

Reproduction: Kittens are born between March and April with 1 to 4 kittens per litter, most commonly 2. The gestation period is about 3 months.