Recently, a man spotted a black animal
This animal has slender limbs and is not small
Can catch some medium-sized dogs
The man felt a little scared
He thought it might be a lynx
So immediately called the police for help
Source: Global Network
The staff of the protection station looked at the indication
"This is obviously a black Maine!"
Source: Global Network
The lynx is a national second-class protected animal
But there are many people who do not know him
Source: Baidu Encyclopedia The lynx on the left and the Maine on the right
What do you think?
Can you tell which photo is a lynx?
Let's get to know lynx together today~
1
What does a lynx look like?
Lynx is a national second-class protected animal, also known as lynx, horse lynx, etc., belongs to the chordate phylum, vertebrate subphylum, mammals, true animal suborder, carnivore, cat family, lynx genus.
The lynx belongs to the medium-sized cat family, but it is much larger than domestic cats, has a strong physique, a very short tail, 5 toes on the forelimbs and 4 toes on the hind limbs, it has a tendon flesh, and it also has flexible properties.
Source: China Wildlife Conservation Association
Its ears are wrapped in black tufts of hair, like two antennas. The cheeks have long drooping hairs. The upper body is light brown, earthy brown, light gray-brown or hemp-brown, or grayish white with a light brown tone; The ventral surface is pale white, yellow-white or sand-yellow, somewhat resembling a leopard, followed by its belly that is pale white, yellow-white or sand-yellow; The caudal end is black.
Source: Wildlife Image Year
2
Where do lynx live?
The lynx genus includes four species, namely the Eurasian lynx, the Spanish lynx, the Canadian lynx and the bobtail. They are similar in appearance, but differ in size and distribution.
Source: Beijing Dong World - 4 species and distribution range of lynx
Overall, these four species are distributed only in the northern hemisphere, including Asia, Europe and North America, and not in the southern hemisphere. Among them, the Eurasian lynx is mainly distributed in northern Asia and western Europe; The Canadian lynx is mainly found in Canada and some northern states in the United States, such as Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, and Washington; Bobtails are mainly found in southern Canada, most of the United States, and northern Mexico; The Spanish lynx is found only in Spain and Portugal. In China, lynx are distributed in Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, Inner Mongolia and other places.
3
What is the life of a lynx like?
Lynx are forest animals that often live alone or in groups. It is usually active in the morning and at dusk, and because it is very good at running, it has a wide range of activities.
In the wild, lynx mostly eat small animals such as hares, pikas, marmots, pheasants, ptarmigans, squirrels, or prey on roe deer and other medium-sized animals. Farmed lynx eat fresh beef, sheep and rabbit meat with bones, as well as fresh rats, mice, pheasants and frogs.
Source: Jingdong World - a lynx that preys on hares
The lynx has a well-developed sense of sight and hearing, and is cunning and cautious by nature. Agile, good at climbing trees and swimming. The athletic nature gives the lynx the ability to quickly escape or climb trees to hide when encountering natural enemies, and the characteristics of wit also make the lynx choose to lie on the ground and pretend to be dead to blind the enemy when encountering a situation that is difficult to escape.
According to scientific statistics, the breeding cycle of lynx will have a peak period in September and October, during which there will be food shortages due to excessive increase in numbers. In such cases, they bury leftover food in the snow so that they can have food to fill their stomachs when hunting is difficult.
Source: Jingdong World - lynx mother and lynx baby
Lynx nesting is chosen to be in rock crevices or tree holes, and mating takes place from February to April every year, and the gestation time is around 2 months. Lynx live 12-15 years, but lynx in captivity can live up to 24 years.
4
This big cat can't be petted!
The lynx is listed as endangered in the Red List of Chinese Species and is a national Class II protected animal. In nature, lynx can skillfully defuse and create new ways to deal with attacks and threats from other species, but they are powerless against humans.
If it weren't for animal protection, the lynx might have a chance to be the best cat to pet. Of all the cats, the lynx has the softest hair, thanks to its thick hair – 9,000 hairs per square centimeter on its back, lynx fur is traditionally one of the important fur resources and export species, however, it has also become an endangered factor for lynx.
Source: Wildlife Image Annual Competition – Little Lynx
At the same time, as a result of human deforestation, forests and nature are fragmented and shrinking, and increased urbanization has left them with less habitat and less food to hunt. In order to survive, lynx have to prey on domestic animals, resulting in a large number of human hunts for lynx.
Although hunting has been banned since the enactment of the Wildlife Protection Act in 1989, illegal poaching remains the biggest threat to lynx survival.
Source: National Geographic, Jingdong World
China Wildlife Conservation Association, Global Network, WWF
Finishing: Dong Xiaoxian