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Eurasian lynx walking through snow

Eurasian lynx

The Eurasian lynx is the third largest predator in Europe after the brown bear and grey wolf. It is the largest of the four lynx species and a strict carnivore, consuming one or two kilograms of meat every day. This extremely efficient hunter uses fine-tuned stealth and pounce techniques to bring down animals four times its size, delivering a fatal bite to the neck or snout of an unsuspecting deer. During winter, its variably patterned coat is long and dense and large fur-covered paws help it move through deep snow. The Eurasian lynx is one of the widest ranging cats and is found in the forests of western Europe, Russia and central Asia.

Scientific name: Lynx lynx

Rank: Species

Common names:

  • Common lynx,
  • European lynx,
  • Northern lynx,
  • Russian lynx

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Distribution

The Eurasian lynx can be found in a number of locations including: Asia, Europe, Himalayas, Russia. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.

Habitats

The following habitats are found across the Eurasian lynx distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.

Behaviours

Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.

Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web

Conservation Status

Least Concern

  1. EX - Extinct
  2. EW
  3. CR - Threatened
  4. EN - Threatened
  5. VU - Threatened
  6. NT
  7. LC - Least concern

Population trend: Stable

Year assessed: 2008

Classified by: IUCN 3.1

About

The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is a medium-sized cat native to European and Siberian forests, South Asia and East Asia. It is also known as the European lynx, common lynx, the northern lynx, and the Siberian or Russian lynx. While its conservation status has been classified as "Least Concern", populations of Eurasian lynx have been reduced or extirpated from western Europe, where it is now being reintroduced.

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Classification

  1. Life
  2. Animals
  3. Vertebrates
  4. Mammals
  5. Carnivora
  6. Cats
  7. Lynx
  8. Eurasian lynx

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