LYNX

Lynx (Lynx lynx)

One of the most beautiful creatures in the Alps is the lynx (Lynx lynx), characterized by brown spotted coat with grayish, yellowish and tawny shades, by small longitudinal stripes on the back, with a whitish belly, with ears with a black tip (tufts of 4 cm ) and fur-rich cheeks (sideburns) or (record). One of the main peculiarities of this species is represented by the hind limbs longer than the rest of the body, moreover the size of the male exceeds that of the females. The coat undergoes the change, in fact it is more contrasted and reddish in summer and lighter and faded in the winter dress, with a woolly undercoat. The tail is very short (does not exceed 25 cm) ends with a black tip, the eyes are edged with white, the head is rounded and has a dark longitudinal line.

The lynx generally live in coniferous and deciduous forests, take refuge in rocky areas from where they can control the territory, frequent the open areas above the trees.

It feeds on mammals, mainly of ungulates such as chamois, roe deer, deer and domestic herbivores (goat sheep). When it hunts, with a padded step it approaches the prey and catching it by surprise it jumps on it. He also appreciates lagomorphs, rodents, carnivores, foxes, mustellids and stray cats. They also eat birds and reptiles.

When the animal occupies new territories we witness phenomena of super predation (surplus killing), a male consumes on average one hoofed animal per day. In the Alps it was man who destroyed the populations of lynx through direct persecution, they completed it between the second half of the nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth century.

Playback

Mating takes place between February and April, the young are born between May and June in caves or under branches of fallen trees. Generally the puppies are two and are breastfed only by the mother. They stay with her until the mating season.

Behavior

The lynx go hunting at night, individually. Only during the mating period from February to April, the male and female get together for a few days. After breastfeeding the babies are immediately started hunting, the mother takes care of their training. Of course, playing they practice like all cats to point their prey and then take it by surprise. This species hunts mainly at night. After ten months the mother rejects them. Many puppies cannot reach a year, in fact, to survive they have to find a territory.