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Officials say three endangered Iberian lynx cubs have been born in a nature reserve in southern Spain. The Iberian lynx is the world’s most endangered cat, and the cubs were part of a breeding program in Andalusia’s Donana National Park. The regional environmental department says the cubs born Wednesday bring the total born to 27 since the program started in 2005.

The Iberian lynx looks like a bobcat with dark fur on its ears. The World Conservation Union classifies it as the most endangered feline species, because of habitat loss, poisoning, road casualties, and poaching. The department said about 200 live wild in Andalusia and 50 more in captivity. Last week, a pregnant lynx was found dead after being shot and run over.

The lynx inhabits the high altitude forests with dense cover of shrubs, reeds and grass. Though the cat hunts only on the ground, it can climb trees and swim. Though it can be found in the northern regions of Scandinavia, it is primarily found in North America and also in pockets in the Himalayas.

The Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) was considered to be extinct in Slovenia and Croatia since the beginning of 20th century, but resettlement project that begun in 1973 was a success. Today lynx can be found in Slovenian Alps and in Croatian regions of Gorski Kotar and Velebit. In both countries lynx is listed as an endangered species and protected by law. Lynx-spotting in nature can be arranged in cooperation with Croatian National Park “Risnjak”. Since the 1990s there have been numerous efforts to resettle the Eurasian Lynx in Germany. It can also be found in Białowieża Forest (northeastern Poland). The critically endangered Iberian Lynx lives in southern Spain and before, eastern Portugal. Lynx is more common in northern Europe – especially in Estonia, Finland and northern parts of Russia.

Starting in 1999, the Colorado Division of Wildlife has begun a program reintroducing a wild lynx population back to the United States. The animals’ distribution were restricted to Canada before being brought to the Colorado Rockies, where after being tagged with radio collars frequently migrated throughout the western United States. While showing early signs of promise, biologists say it will take more than a decade to determine whether the program is a success. However, in 2006 the first case of a native-born Colorado lynx giving birth since 1999 was documented, it gave birth to 2 kittens affirming the possibility of successful reintroduction.

General behavioural traits resemble that of a leopard. Lynxes are usually solitary, although a small group of lynxes can travel and hunt together. Mating takes place in the late winter. Its desired resting place is in crevices or under ledges, and it gives birth to 2 to 4 kittens once a year. It feeds on birds and mammals, fish, and often on sheep and goats, but its main prey is the Snowshoe Hare. Lynx (spotted) have been observed (2006) in the Wet Mountains of Colorado. However spotting a lynx is a very rare event in and of itself, due to the extremely shy and solitary nature of the animal.

Lynxes have short tails, and usually a tuft of black hair on the tip of the ears. They have a ruff under their neck which has black bars (not very visible) and it looks like a bowtie. They have large paws padded for walking on snow, and long whiskers on the face. The color of the body varies from light brown to grey and is occasionally marked with dark brown spots, especially on the limbs. They range about 15 kg (33 pounds) up to about 30 kg (66 pounds). The Eurasian Lynx is significantly larger than the other species. The Iberian Lynx is significantly smaller than the other species.

• Lynx lynx, Eurasian Lynx
• Lynx canadensis, Canada Lynx
• Lynx pardinus, Iberian Lynx
• Lynx rufus, Bobcat

Eurasian Lynx

While the Eurasian Lynx bears rather pallid markings, the Iberian Lynx has distinctive, leopard-like spots with a coat that is often light gray or various shades of light brown-yellowish. Some western populations were spotless though these have recently gone extinct.

The male is larger than the female. It’s shoulder height is about 2 feet (70 cm), and length is approximately 3 feet (1 m), including a 6 inch (15 cm) tail.

The Iberian Lynx does not differ greatly from the European Lynx but more closely resembles a Rufus Lynx.

Canadian Lynx

The Canadian Lynx (Lynx canadensis) is a close relative of the Eurasian Lynx. Some authorities regard both as conspecific. However, in some characteristics the Canadian Lynx is more similar to the Bobcat than to the Eurasian Lynx.

This cat is found in northern forests across almost all of Canada and Alaska. In addition there are large populations of this lynx in Montana, Idaho and Washington. The Canadian Lynx is rare in Utah, Minnesota, and New England; reintroduction efforts in Colorado have been ongoing since 1999, with the first wild-born kittens confirmed in 2003, with many successful kindles thereafter. It is considered to be threatened in the contiguous United States.

The appearance of the Canadian Lynx is simillar to that of the Eurasian Lynx: the dense fur is silvery brown and may bear blackish markings. In summer, its coat takes on a more reddish brown colour. Males are larger than females. The lynx has a furry ruff which resembles a double-pointed beard, a short tail with a black tip and long furry tufts on its ears. Its long legs with broad furred feet aid the lynx in travelling through deep snow.

The Canadian Lynx hunts for hares, rodents and birds, sometimes killing larger animals such as deer. It relies mainly on hearing and sight to locate prey. In some areas the Snowshoe Hare is virtually the only prey of the Canadian Lynx. The size of the Canadian Lynx population tends to follow the approximately 10 year long rise and decline of Snowshoe Hare numbers.

The Canadian Lynx is a solitary and secretive animal, usually active at night, and requires a large territory. It breeds in spring and one to five kittens are born. The survival of the young depends heavily on the availability of prey species.

This animal is trapped for its fur and has declined in many areas due to habitat loss.

Iberian Lynx

The Iberian Lynx (sometimes referred to as the Spanish Lynx or Felis pardina) often used to be misclassified as a subspecies of the Eurasian Lynx, but is now considered a separate species. Both species evolved together in central Europe in the Pleistocene epoch. In Spanish however, many people call the lynx “Gato Montes”, which actually refers to the Wild Cat (Felis silvestris, Felis silvestris tartessia, Felis silvestris jordansi). The Iberian lynx is believed to have evolved from Lynx issiodorensis.
While the Eurasian Lynx bears rather pallid markings, the Iberian Lynx has distinctive, leopard-like spots with a coat that is often light gray or various shades of light brown-yellowish. Some western populations were spotless though these have recently gone extinct.

The male is larger than the female. It’s shoulder height is about 2 feet (70 cm), and length is approximately 3 feet (1 m), including a 6 inch (15 cm) tail.

The Iberian Lynx does not differ greatly from the European Lynx but more closely resembles a Rufus Lynx.

Bobcat ( Lynx rufus )

Bobcat (Lynx rufus, or commonly felis rufus) is a wild cat native to North America. They are found mostly in the United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. The bobcat is an adaptable animal that inhabits wooded areas as well as semi-desert, urban, and swampland environments. They live in a set home range which shifts in size with the season. They utilize several methods to mark their territorial boundaries including claw marks and deposits of urine or feces.

In appearance, the bobcat has characteristic black bars on its forelegs and tail. They also have prominent, pointed ears with short tufts of black hair at the tip. The name is derived from their stubby black-tipped tails that, unlike those of other species of Lynx, have a white underside. Their coat is most often light gray or various shades of brown in color, with varying degrees of black spots either dispersed along much of their body or relegated to the otherwise white underparts. The bobcat is twice as large as a house cat but typically smaller than the related Canada lynx. The adult male, averaging 36 inches (90 cm) in length, and weighing from 16 to 30 pounds (7 to 14 kg), is generally 30-40% larger than the female.

Bobcats are carnivorous animals which will hunt anything from insects and small rodents to large deer, but often show a preference for rabbits and hares. What they hunt will depend on location and habitat, season, and scarcity of prey. The bobcat breeds from winter into the spring and has a gestation period of about two months. The kittens will stay with the mother until about a year old.