See also Allen 1895, Auffenberg 1967, Breitenmoser and Breitenmoser 2017, Hay 1902, Hulbert and Pratt 1998, Kurten and Anderson 1980, Lundelius 1972, Mivart 1882, Mooser and Dalquest 1975, Schultz and Howard 1935, Slaughter 1966, Slaughter 1966 and Werdelin 1985 Synonyms: Felis calcaratus Cope 1899 ( no. They are harmful to the hunting industry, since they destroy commercially valuable animals.Alternative combinations: Felis (Lynx) rufa, Felis (Lynx) rufus, Felis rufa, Felis ruffus, Felis rufus The cats are of minor commercial value (the fur is used). Lynxes have a population that fluctuates with the food supply. After a gestation period of nine or ten weeks, a litter usually containing two or three young is born. The lynx leads a settled life, migrating only when food is scarce. The lynx feeds primarily on hares, murine rodents, and birds it sometimes attacks such ungulates as roe deer and musk deer. The cat inhabits extensive, dense forests in valleys and mountains it sometimes enters the forest steppe. The lynx is distributed in Europe, North America, North Asia, Middle Asia, and-to a lesser extent-Southwest Asia. Coloration varies from monochrome (straw-colored or red) to spotted. The ears are tufted, and the animal has whiskers. The legs are strong and relatively long, and the paws very large. ( Felis lynx), a true cat having a body length of 82–109 cm, a tail length of 20–24 cm, and a weight of 8–19 kg (in rare cases, up to 32 kg). Lynxes are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, family Felidae. The caracal, Caracal caracal, of the dry country of Africa and W Asia, is also called the Persian, African, or desert lynx. It lives in a variety of habitats, especially open woodlands and scrub. The jungle cat, or jungle lynx Felis chaus, of N Africa and Asia, is more closely related to the domestic cat. The term lynx is also used for a number of unrelated cats.

pardinus, which once ranged over the Iberian Peninsula, is now found only in small areas in S Spain, where its population numbers about 1,000 to 1,500. It lives on a variety of small and medium-sized prey its raids on livestock and poultry have made it a target of farmers. It commonly weighs about 20 lb (9 kg), although some individuals grow much larger. It has a longer tail, shorter ear tufts, and smaller feet than the Canada lynx its coat is a redder brown and more spotted. rufus, also known as bay lynx or wildcat, is a small North American lynx found in thickets, swamps, and rocky areas from the S of Canada to central Mexico. Efforts have been made to return the Canada lynx to parts of its former range in the United States (Colorado). The Canada lynx population fluctuates in cycles correlated with the fluctuation of the snowshoe rabbit population. A nocturnal hunter, it preys on a variety of game, sometimes as large as deer, but is particularly dependent on the snowshoe rabbit as its staple diet. It has long black ear tufts and large feet, adapted to moving on deep snow. Its long fur is yellow-brown to grayish, slightly spotted with black. (13-cm) tail, and may weigh up to 40 lb (18 kg). The Canada lynx may attain a length of more than 3 ft (90 cm), with a 5-in. canadensis, is similar in size and appearance as well as habitat to its Old World counterpart it ranges from the northern limits of the Canadian forests to the extreme N United States. As a result of hunting by humans and the general deforestation of Europe, the northern lynx is now very restricted in its European range and may be extinct in W Europe, but efforts have been made to restore it to parts of its former range. The Eurasian lynx, Lynx lynx, is found in coniferous forests of N Eurasia. All are primarily terrestrial, although they are able to climb trees. All have small heads, tufted ears, and heavy bodies with long legs and short tails. Lynx, name given to several related small, ferocious members of the cat family.

Lynx rufus