A more accurate title is the ‘Canada lynx’ (Lynx canadensis Kerr 1792). The length of this cat taking the length of head plus body is 80-100 cm (in inches: 31.5-39.5). The tail length is 5-13 cm (2-5 inches). The weight is 8-10 kg (17.5-22 lbs).
My immediate observation is that at the top end in terms of weight this cat is similar to a very large Maine Coon cat, which as you know is a very popular purebred domestic cat and the largest domestic cat excluding wild cat hybrids. I think that gives a sense of the size of the Canada lynx. It is not that large after all. The data above comes from Dr Desmond Morris.
Wild Cats of the World
Another source of information is the Sunquists in their book Wild Cats of the World at page 161. They provide information on the measurements and weights of adult Canada lynx in Newfoundland. Ninety-six males and eighty-nine females were measured.
The head and body length in millimetres for male cats was between 737-1067 (73.7-106.7 cms or 29-42 inches) and for females 762-965 (76.2-96.5 cms or 30-38 inches). The average for males was 892 mm (89.2 cm or 35.11 inches) and the average for females was 844 mm (84.4 cm or 33.22 inches).
The tail length for males varied between 50-127 mm and four females the length varied between 76-122 mm. The average for males was 104 mm (10.4 cms or 4.09 inches) and the average for females was 97 mm (9.7 cms or 3.82 inches).
As for weights, the average weight of males was 10.7 kg (23.59 lbs) and for females it was 8.6 kg (18.96 pounds).
The Canada lynx is described as a medium-sized cat. They typically measure less than a meter in length from the nose to the end of their stubby tail. They are muscular, leggy and stand about 48-56 cm high at the shoulder. The hind limbs are longer than the fore limbs giving the appearance that they are tipping forwards. They have very large paws to help them traverse snow.
