Canada Lynx

Overview

The life of the Canada lynx is influenced by two notable and significant factors: (1) the abundance of the snowshoe hare upon which it is almost exclusively dependent for its food and (2) the degree to which it is trapped for its fur, primarily the fur on its undersides; the long, light coloured belly fur that is used by the clothes manufacturers.

The behavior of this wildcat can be altered by the degree of trapping for its fur. The presence of the snowshoe hare has a far greater impact on the life of the Canada lynx than the other way around.

The Canada lynx is a solitary, ground dwelling, medium sized wild cat that is found in North America. It is distributed over about 98% of Canada (2012) and in a relatively small and fragmented area of the northwest of the United States and also over most of Alaska. Its range follows the range of the snowshoe hare.

The Canadian lynx has unspotted brown, buff-gray fur except for the undersides. It has notably large paws to traverse the snow.

Taxonomy

Scientific name: Lynx canadensis (Kerr 1792)

Other names: Canadian lynx, American Lynx.

See: Lynx cat (rewilding). See 36 wild cats.