Please note: This page has been archived and its content may no longer be up-to-date. This version of the page will remain live for reference purposes as we work to update the content across our website. There are about lynx in Europe. Get to know the Iberian and Eurasian lynx that live in our continent and the challenges they are facing.
These beautiful and elusive wild cats with tufted ears are protected by the EU Nature Directives , but poaching and the destruction of their habitats remain a cause of concern in many areas. Join us to defend the lynx! The cork oak forest is my favourite habitat. My favourite food: I am a carnivore, and my favourite and almost exclusive prey is the rabbit. This selective diet makes me one of the best rabbit hunters. My way of life: I am solitary, elusive and nocturnal and therefore I am rarely spotted by humans.
Life span: I can survive up to 17 years in the wild and 20 years in captivity. My favourite food: I eat small ungulates hoofed mammals such as roe deer, and smaller prey like hares.
My way of life: Like my Iberian cousin, I am solitary and secretive. The loss of the prey base of these wild cats has resulted in the decline of their populations. Populations of the European rabbit, the primary prey of the Iberian lynx, have drastically declined due to overhunting, disease, poaching, and habitat fragmentation.
This, in turn, has had an adverse effect on lynx populations. At the beginning of the 21st century, only about Iberian lynxes were surviving in the wild. By , successful restocking of rabbits, relocation, and re-introduction of Iberian lynxes had resulted in a population growth to individuals. The Iberian lynx also occasionally preys on rodents, deer, ducks, etc. This species of lynx is still extremely vulnerable to threats like poaching, accidental kills by vehicles, kills by feral dogs, persecution by humans, and habitat fragmentation.
Rank Species Weight Length Height standing at shoulders 1 Eurasian lynx 18 to 30 kilograms 81 to centimetres 70 centimetres 2 Canada lynx 8 to 11 kilograms 80 to centimetres 48 to 56 centimetres 3 Iberian lynx Oishimaya Sen Nag April 25 in Environment. Puma, Cougar, Or Mountain Lion?
Bhopal Gas Tragedy. Greenland Shark. Sharks Are Fascinating, Not Fearsome. Further Iberian lynx conservation action is still needed, involving ongoing efforts to recover prey populations especially European rabbit , enhance habitat quality and connectivity traffic accidents remain a big problem , and release lynx in new areas to connect populations.
A specialist in both prey and habitat, the survival of the Iberian lynx is intimately tied to the survival of its main prey species: the European rabbit. Historically, wild rabbits were highly abundant on the Iberian peninsula. But two contagious viral diseases particularly myxomatosis have decimated the population.
Whenever the rabbit population grows significantly, another virus strain strikes back and reduces the number of prey animals for the cats. Rabbit restocking programmes are now underway in many areas. As top predators, both the Eurasian and Iberian lynx are keystone species , helping to maintain balanced, healhy populations of other animals. Like wolves, European bison and beavers, keystone species are widlife species that have a large impact on their community by controlling the dominance of other species, or by changing habitat structure.
Both the Eurasian and Iberian lynx are of cultural importance too, and they are increasingly important for wildlife tourism. The local rewilding team are working hard to create favourable conditions for the animals to recolonise the area. By enhancing natural grazing , the introduction of free-roaming wild herbivores such as wild horses and Tauros is creating mosaic landsapes favoured by prey species such as European rabbit and red-legged partridge.
It will also reintroduce further animals to improve connectivity between regional sub-populations. Five countries are involved Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania and Slovakia , as well as a diverse range of stakeholders, including local communities and hunters. In May , the first of the 14 lynx — two males from Romania — were translocated. GPS collars will enable project researchers to track their movement and integration into the local lynx population. Starting in , this will eventually see 20 Eurasian lynx released in the forest 10 from Switzerland and 10 from Slovakia.
This episode shows the release of two male lynx Alfi and Wrano in the forest.
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