Eurasian lynx
- The Eurasian lynx can travel up to 30 km per day, even when food is scarce.
- The Eurasian lynx is the most northern of the cat species; in Scandinavia, it is found even north of the Arctic Circle.
- The Eurasian lynx may venture into villages and towns, but as zoologist Mikhail Krecmar states, there are no confirmed cases of it attacking humans.
- The Eurasian lynx kills foxes and martens even when it is not hungry. This happens despite the absence of a need for food.
- Once the Eurasian lynx was quite common throughout Europe, but by the middle of the 20th century it was exterminated in most countries of Central and Western Europe.
Age
The Eurasian lynx has a typical lifespan ranging from 19 years and 6 months to 32 years and 6 months, with a maximum recorded lifespan of 26 years, although its theoretical lifespan is from 11 years and 10 months to 23 years and 9 months. The species reaches sexual maturity between 1 year and 1 month and 3 years of age. A lynx kitten’s eyes open between 1 and 2 weeks of age, and the young begin to walk between 2 weeks and 4 weeks, from 2 weeks and 4 days to 4 weeks. The “Embryo” stage involves development within the mother, followed by the “Kitten” stage where the newborn is blind and helpless, relying on the mother for milk and warmth. After weaning, the species enters the "Juvenile after transformation" stage, lasting from 6 months to 2 years, during which the young learn to hunt with their mother. The “Adult” stage begins when the Eurasian lynx hunts independently and can reproduce, and lasts from 2 to 20 years.
Phenotype
A Eurasian lynx kitten’s fur is soft with spots for camouflage, helping it to hide from other predators, and its eyes open between ten and twelve days after birth, allowing for good vision in the dark. Young animals after transformation have small tufts on their ears that assist in determining the direction of sound. Adult Eurasian lynxes possess thick fur with spots, which provides camouflage in the forest and protection from the cold, and they also have retractable sharp claws used for catching prey and climbing trees. Black tufts on the tips of the ears improve hearing and facilitate communication; the species has a short tail with a black tip that helps maintain balance when jumping. The adult Eurasian lynx also possesses black tufts on the ear tips.
Physiology
The Eurasian lynx has a body height ranging from 17.8 centimeters to 4.5 meters, and a body length ranging from 80 centimeters to 1.3 meters; its mass varies from 15.08 to 17.9 kilograms. During the "Embryo" stage, the body mass is between 1 and 20 grams. The "Kitten" stage is characterized by a body mass of 250 grams to 2.5 kilograms and a body length of 20 to 40 centimeters. The "Juvenile after transformation" stage presents a body mass from 3 to 12 kilograms and a body length from 50 centimeters to 0.9 meters. An adult individual has a body mass ranging from 16 to 32 kilograms, and a body length from 0.9 to 1.3 meters.
Habitat
The Lynx inhabits land, high mountains and tundra, as well as ground forest, up to an altitude above sea level of 2.5 km. The species is found in flooded meadows where water often covers the ground and there is abundant grass, in taiga with a cold winter and many coniferous trees such as spruce and pine, and in tundra characterized by very low temperatures and a short summer, where there is abundant moss. The climate in the Lynx's habitat is characterized by a cool summer, the temperature of which is +15...+20 °C, as well as constant humidity due to abundant rainfall. In winter, there is a large amount of snow and low temperatures; summer is not hot, with a lot of precipitation.
Shelter
The Eurasian lynx inhabits dense forests or rocky terrain and utilizes dens for protection, reproduction, and rest. These dens are constructed from moss and grass.
Geography
The Eurasian lynx occupies the Palearctic biogeographical region and is found in several distinct ecosystems including Scandinavian birch forests and meadows, the Ural mountain forests and taiga, the Scandinavian-Russian taiga, and the West Siberian taiga.
Feeding
The Eurasian lynx is a predator that hunts hares, roe deer, rodents, and birds, employing an ambush hunting strategy by quietly approaching its prey and making a sudden leap. Its diet includes hares, roe deer, rodents, birds, foxes, rabbits, large mammals, and small mammals, with voles and squirrels also among its prey. The species’ daily food requirement ranges from 1.5 kilograms to 2.5 kilograms, while young lynx kittens consume milk. Hunting is an active pursuit involving ambushes; in some cultures the animal is consumed, though it is not considered halal or kosher.
Reproduction
The Eurasian lynx inhabits terrestrial environments and develops exclusively on land, away from bodies of water; the young develop in a nest built on or near the ground. Embryonic development lasts 2 months and 1 week, resulting in live birth where the offspring are born alive on land, without hatching from eggs or larvae. The female gives birth to a litter of 1 to 4 lynx kittens in a secluded den in the spring; a male and female meet during winter. The mother feeds and teaches the young until the following year, and she is the only individual providing parental care. A Eurasian lynx reaches maturity from 2 to 3 years of age and reproduces with homogamy, meaning fertilization always occurs without generational change. The interval between reproductions is 1 year, and a litter has 1 to 4 offspring.