Canada lynx

캐나다스라소니

The Canada lynx is a medium-sized wild cat of northern conifer forests, known for its black ear tufts, ruffed cheeks and huge furred paws that work like snowshoes. It hunts mainly snowshoe hares, and its numbers rise and fall with theirs.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Class: Mammals
Lives in: Boreal forests of central Canada
Diet: Meat eater (carnivore)
Weight: about 9.5 kg
Length: about 0.9 m
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN LC)
Habitat: forests

Quick answers

Where does the Canada lynx live?

It lives in forests. On the globe you can find it near Boreal forests of central Canada.

How big is the Canada lynx?

It grows to about 0.9 m and 9.5 kg.

What does the Canada lynx eat?

Its diet: meat eater (carnivore).

Is the Canada lynx endangered?

It is listed as Least Concern (IUCN LC).

The Canada lynx is a medium-sized wild cat of the dense northern forests of Alaska, Canada and the northern United States. You can spot it by its triangular ears with black tufts, its fluffy ruff of fur and its broad paws, which work a bit like snowshoes on deep snow.

It is a specialist hunter that depends on one main meal: the snowshoe hare. When hares are plentiful, lynx do well; when hares become scarce, lynx wander off to find more and have fewer kittens. Because of this link, the two animals rise and fall together in a repeating cycle. The IUCN lists the lynx as Least Concern.

How does the Canada lynx hunt?

The Canada lynx mostly hunts around twilight or at night, when snowshoe hares are active. It waits on trails or in "ambush beds", then pounces and kills with a bite to the head, throat or back of the neck. Its hind legs are longer than its front legs, so its back slopes down toward the front. It stands about 48 to 56 centimetres at the shoulder, weighs 5 to 17 kilograms, and is a good swimmer and an agile climber.

Family life and survival

Lynx live alone, and neighbours of the same sex tend to avoid each other and keep separate territories. Mating lasts about a month, from March to early April. After two to three months a mother gives birth to between one and eight kittens, which are weaned at about 12 weeks. People trap lynx for the fur trade in most of Alaska and Canada, and the cat is protected in the southern half of its range, where forests are being lost.

Fun facts

Its numbers rise and fall in roughly 10-year cycles that follow the snowshoe hare.
Its hind legs are longer than its front legs, which gives its back a downhill slope.
Kittens are born in litters of up to eight and are weaned at around 12 weeks.
Despite its heavy fur and big paws, it is a good swimmer.