The Canadian Lynx
“The Canadian Lynx is like a gray ghost of the north - elusive (hides), evading (avoiding) human contact.” It’s about 20 inches tall and weighs 20 pounds - the size of a large house cat. It has long, black ear tufts and a short, black-tipped tail with rounded feet and furry pads which allow it to walk on the snow’s surface. “Canada Lynx.” National Wildlife Federation. 02 Dec. 2006.�<http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlife-library/mammals/canada-lynx.aspx>
The Canadian Lynx
HABITAT
The Canadian Lynx lives in the cold, snowy �climate of the Rocky Mountains in the �United States, and it is found in the forests �all across Canada and into Alaska.�http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/kids/animal-facts/canada_lynx.asp
Unlike any other cat – the Canadian Lynx depends on the Snowshoe Hare for its food. No other predator/prey relationship is so strong. When the number of Snowshoe Hares goes up, the number of lynxes goes up. When the number of Snowshoe Hares goes down the number of lynxes goes down. The Lynx will also eat small rodents, ground birds, and other small mammals.
http://bigcatrescue.org/canada-lynx-facts/
��The Canadian Lynx Diet��
Reproduction and Offspring:
After 63-70 days, females have a litter of 1 to 8 kittens, depending on the number of prey. They weigh 7 to 7.5 ounces at birth and will open their eyes at around 10 to 17 days, and begin to walk between 24 to 30 days. They leave the mother between 3 to 5 months of age, and become an adult around 23 months. The number of offspring depends on the number of prey (Snowshoe Hares) as does the age of maturity. When there is a lot of prey, females will breed as early as 10 months. In the wild, Canadian Lynx have lived up to 15 years, and in captivity, up to 21. http://bigcatrescue.org/canada-lynx-facts/
Video:
FUN FACT
The Bobcat and the Canadian Lynx look a like and are closely related, but they are different species and live in different habitats.
The bobcat looks a bit more like an overgrown house cat than a lynx does. It has extra-long tufts of fur on its ears and a shaggy mane of fur around its cheeks.� A lynx has larger feet and longer legs than a bobcat to help it navigate the deep snow common in its range. Its big, furry paws act like snowshoes to help this feline chase down food in the winter.