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Common Lynx (Eurasian) belongs to the cat family (lat. Lynx lynx) and is the closest relative of a domestic cat.
Appearance
Common lynx is small in comparison with other members of the family, but is the largest among other species of lynx. The weight of a large male can reach 36 kg, individuals of medium size have a mass of 20-25 kg. The length (excluding the tail) ranges from 70 to 130 cm. The height of most animals is no more than 70 cm. Males are stronger and larger than females.
The body of the animals is short, dense. The head has rounded outlines, the muzzle is shortened with large eyes wide apart. The tail is short with a black tip, it seems slightly chopped off, its length rarely exceeds 35 centimeters. Such size and shape of the tail help the animal to deftly climb trees, using it as a balancer.
Lynx hair is very soft and thick, especially after autumn molting. Wool growing in spring is shorter and less dense, the nap pattern is much sharper, more contrast.
The color of animals can be red, yellow or gray. Depending on the habitat, patterns on animal hair can be striped and spotty (spots and sockets of various sizes). There are representatives with a solid color. On the neck, abdomen, ears and paws, the patterned color is less pronounced. On the cheeks, as well as on the stomach, the pile is longer and thinner, similar to whiskers. At the tips of the ears, lynxes have special brushes that allow them to pick up sound waves that are not accessible to other mammals. So these brushes are just like a direction finder. If they are cut off, then the hearing immediately dulls noticeably.
The anatomical structure of the paws has some difference from the structure of other members of the family. The forelimbs are noticeably longer than the hind limbs and have 5 fingers on the trot, and 4 on the hind legs. But the trace of the front, like the hind legs, will still have a print of only four fingers, since the fifth finger is located above the rest and does not touch the snow or the ground when walking.
By winter, the paw pads are overgrown with thick hard fur, due to which the lynx quickly and easily overcomes snow drifts and moves without wounding the sole along the ice crust.
Behavior, lifestyle
The trajectory of the lynx has a tortuous character. If the snow drifts are not deep, the beast puts its paws so that the prints from the rear are in front of the front. If the depth of snow is significant, then it moves, putting the hind limbs in the tracks from the front. If necessary, camouflage lynx, typically, paves the way through stumps and trees.
Cats hunt alone. Females with a brood get food together. These predators prefer a sedentary lifestyle and leave their territories only in case of depletion of feed resources. The area of possession of one predator sometimes is 70 square kilometers. Animals periodically do their rounds, which often takes up to two weeks. For a day, a lynx can walk 8 km in search of prey.
Subspecies of the common lynx
Depending on the habitat, several subspecies of predators are distinguished:
- East Siberian (Yakut) Lynx. At the beginning of the twentieth century, this subspecies independently settled in the southern territories of the Kamchatka Peninsula.Yakut lynx is the largest of the ordinary. Their fur is fluffy and soft with a distinct pronounced spotting. With an abundance of food supply, animals lead a sedentary lifestyle in Yakutia. In the case of a decrease in the amount of game, animals migrate to more food-rich areas. 80% of the diet of lynxes is hare hares, the rest is in feathered and large horned animals.
- Central Asian (pale) lynx. Representatives of this subspecies live in the mountainous regions of Kazakhstan and central Asia. The color of these animals is mostly monophonic, light. The spots are weakly expressed on the limbs and back.
- Caucasian lynx. Predators are medium in size, compared with other representatives of the species. They have a characteristic chestnut or reddish-chestnut pile color with bright spotting.
Lynx habitats
Until the end of the 19th century, these animals inhabited the forests of Central and Western Europe. Due to the popularity of lynx furs and deforestation by the beginning of the 20th century, they were exterminated in Germany, Switzerland and France. Since the 70s of the last century, thanks to the activities of wildlife advocates, this species of cats has been re-settled in some countries.
Today, the common lynx is listed in the Red Book. Predator populations, numbering from 1000 to 2500 individuals, inhabit forests of Sweden, Poland, Norway and Finland.
In the states of the Balkan Peninsula (Macedonia, Greece, Albania), the number of Eurasian lynx has declined over the past 20 years. What is directly related to human activities. Their number in these countries is less than 100 individuals.
Most habitats of the common lynx are located on the territory of Russia, mainly in the regions of Siberia. There are animals on the western borders of the country to Kamchatka, Sakhalin, as well as in the Caucasus.
Lynx prefer mixed and coniferous forests on rocky mountain landscapes. They settle in the forest-tundra and in those areas where undersized shrubs grow. To raise offspring, they go deep into the forest, where the vegetation is thicker and denser.
Enemies of the lynx, in addition to humans, are wolves. The lynx is able to cope with one wolf, but will not prevail over the pack. Therefore, in the territory where wolves live, lynx prefer not to linger. If the number of wolves is reduced due to their extermination by man, then their number in the same area increases. In some areas of Russia, individuals were shot, as it was believed that a predator destroys a lot of game of value (for example, roe deer, black grouse, hares). But given the fact that the breeding rate, and, consequently, the increase in the number of animals eaten by lynxes is much higher than that of predators, the harm from hunting is in great doubt.
Lynx diet
Lynxes, like all cats, eat animal food. The daily prey of these predators is lemmings, field voles, hares and some birds. Sometimes young moose and wild boars become victims. Lynx also hunts larger animals: deer, roe deer, musk deer, and seren. If lynx hunting grounds are located near human settlements, then livestock and poultry often become its prey.
Lynxes begin hunting at the end of the night or in the early morning, when the area is not yet sufficiently lit by the sun. The predator carefully and patiently tracks the victim, and then attacks, making 2-3 sharp jumps up to 3 meters long. If the prey slips away, then it follows it for another 80 meters, in case of failure, it retreats. The lynx does not jump onto the prey from a branch or tree trunk, but looks out for it from a height. The average daily serving of meat is approximately 3 kg, in which case the lynx will not feel hunger. The animal after a long hunger strike can eat six kilograms of meat.
Lynx never hunts for the future, that is, well-fed.The animal bury the remains of the carcass in the snow or sprinkle it with earth, but not so neatly that other predatory animals easily find a "cache". Foxes and Wolverines are often tied in trot tracks. The latter can sometimes repel caught prey and drive off the lynx. The situation with foxes is different: foxes compete with the lynx in the food chain, in addition, they are much weaker. The fox seen on the territory of the hunting estates will most likely be killed by the "mistress." At the same time, these predators never eat foxes.
On its hunting routes, the lynx leaves traces in the form of a scratched tree bark, as a kind of signal that the territory is occupied.
Breeding and breeding
Lynx weddings begin in February and last until the end of March. 2-3 males walk behind the female, sometimes more, who constantly fight for her location. The battles are accompanied by formidable growls and a low-key meow, spreading for many kilometers around. Having formed a pair, the animals sniff each other's noses, then begin to butt slightly on their foreheads, standing opposite.
Females raise their own cubs. At the age of two months, the mother begins to gradually feed the kittens with meat. Until they reach the age of five months, the babies still do not leave the den and learn to hunt mice and hares brought by the female. By six months, the lynxes are already learning to hunt for real.
The “parental home” cubs leave when they turn 1 year old. The female mother drives them into an independent life and acquires new offspring. The male lynx reaches a mature state at the age of two and a half years. Females - at 1.5 years.
The lifespan of lynxes on the outside is an average of 20 years. In zoos, some individuals can live up to 25 years.
Video: common lynx (Lynx lynx)
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