MiddleEastExplorer Home > Turkey >
Lynx
Found in: Fauna of Turkey
A lynx is any of four medium-sized wild cats. All are members of the genus Lynx, but there is considerable confusion about the best way to classify felids at present, and some authorities classify them as part of the genus Felis. The Caracal, despite sometimes being called Persian Lynx or African Lynx, does not belong to this genus.
Appearance
Lynx have short tails and characteristic tufts of black hair on the tip of the ears. They have a ruff under the neck, which has black bars (not very visible), resembling a bow tie. They have large paws padded for walking on snow and long whiskers on the face. The body color varies from light brown to grey; and occasionally, is marked with dark brown spots, especially on the limbs.
Behavior
Lynx are usually solitary, although a small group of lynx may travel and hunt together. Mating takes place in the late winter and they give birth to 2 to 4 kittens once a year. The young stay with the mother for one more winter; and then, the young adults can live on their own. Lynx will have their dens in crevices or under ledges. They feed on a wide range of animals from Reindeer, Roe Deer, small Red Deer, and Chamois, to smaller, more usual prey: birds, and small mammals, like snowshoe hares, fish, sheep, and goats.
See also
Lynx (mythology)
Wildcat, a small predator native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa
External links
SOS Lynx: photos, news and information about the Iberian Lynx in English and Portuguese
Canada Lynx in the Southern Rockies
The Iberian Lynx The natural history of the Iberian lynx
The Nature Conservatory's Species Profile: Lynx
Canada lynx (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Lynx