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| CANADIAN
LYNK - KEY FACTS |
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| Scientific Name: Lynx canadensis |
Size: Head and body 31.5-39.5 inches
(80-100cm);
tail 2-5 inches (5-13cm) |
| Weight: 17.5-22 pounds (8-10kg) |
| Distribution: Northern Canada and
Alaska |
| Habitat: Mainly in boreal forests
but can live in farmland if interspersed with heavily wooded areas. |
| Diet: Feed almost exclusively on snowshoe
hares, but also eat mice, voles, squirrels, and some ground birds. |
| Reproduction: After a gestation period
of 9 weeks, female gives birth to 2-4 kittens. |
| Status: Least
Concern |
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| Also known as the North American Lynx,
because, in addition to most of northern Canada, it also occurs in Alaska. The
Canadian Lynx is a medium-sized, cold-country cat with a stocky body, very thick,
dense fur, black-tuft ears, a very short, black-tipped tail, and long legs with
enormous "snowshoe" paws. These densely furred feet, which may measure
as much as 4 inches (10cm) across, prevent the animal from sinking into deep snow.
This tall cat has especially long hind legs which give it the appearance of being
tilted forwards. Its coat is usually plain, but sometimes a faint spotting is
visible. There is a black and |
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white
throat ruff that fans outward when the cat hisses. A solitary hunter, with individual
territories of up to 100 sq miles (250 sq km), the Canadian Lynx feeds almost
entirely on Snowshoe Hares, but will occasionally eat mice, voles, squirrels,
and some ground birds. They occasionally kill deer and caribou fawns and may scavenge
from deer or moose carcasses. An exception to this regime occurs on Newfoundland
Island where lynx prey extensively on caribou fawns.
The Canadian Lynx is very similar to the Northern Lynx of Europe and Asia (Eurasian
Lynx), but is only about half the size and has a shorter tail and a plainer
coat. Some authorities feel that these two lynxes belong in the same species,
but the general feeling today is that they should be recognized as separate. |
| CANADIAN
LYNK PHOTOS |
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