Lynx where it lives what it eats appearance. Common lynx

A story about the lynx for elementary school students

Khamidulina Almira Idrisovna
Position and place of work: teacher primary classes, MBOU pro-gymnasium “Christina”, Tomsk
Description of material: the material will be useful for students junior classes, as well as for adults. The story about the lynx can be used when preparing a teacher for extracurricular activities, to read in family circle and just for general development.
Target: acquaintance with the life and habits of the lynx.
Tasks:
- expand knowledge about mammals;
- develop speech, attention, thinking, imagination;
- cultivate interest in the world around us.
This graceful cat has cute tufts on her ears, a short tail, and very attractive whiskers. It moves well over sharp rocks and also thrives in the coldest climates. It can meow, purr and hiss. The Eurasian lynx can withstand frosts down to -57 degrees. With all this, this cat is a predator! You guessed it - today we’ll talk about lynx.
There are 4 main species known: Canadian, Eurasian, Spanish and Bobcat. Lynx can be found in Europe, Asia and North America. The total number of predators in our country is estimated at approximately 30 thousand individuals. The word Lynx (lynx) comes from the Greek word meaning "to shine." It's all about the eyes wild cat phosphorescent. Lynx has very sharp eyesight. The ancient Greeks believed that she could see through objects. There is even the constellation Lynx, which was discovered by Jan Hevelius in 1690. The reason for this name is the infinite number of small stars that it consists of, and only the keen vision of a lynx will help you see them all.

The size of the lynx depends on the species. On average, it can reach from 80 to 100 centimeters in length. An adult male weighs about 30 kg, and females reach about 18 kg. They live up to 14.5 years in wildlife and more than 25 years in captivity. The body of a wild cat is covered with beautiful, thick fur. During the summer, the color of our cat's fur changes. In winter, shedding occurs and the light brown coat turns into grey. Graceful black dots cover the lynx's entire body. A large number of white spots adorn the ears, which end in black tassels. Thanks to them, the lynx has the finest hearing and can hear prey several kilometers away.

Therefore, if you decide to catch a lynx, you are unlikely to succeed! They say that if you cut the tufts on a lynx's ears, its hearing acuity will decrease significantly. Poaching is one of the reasons for the catastrophic decline in the number of lynx individuals. Unfortunately, the fashion industry does not stand still, and fur is highly valued. Back in the 1950s, long-haired warm fur occupied the first positions in terms of prices and demand at the world's largest auctions. Now this animal is listed in the Red Book and is protected.

To maintain vigilance and speed of movement, a lynx eats about 2 kg of meat per day. The sharpness of the lynx's teeth and claws can be compared to a blade. This shows how easily the cat copes with its prey.

It is a carnivore that usually hunts hares, mice, squirrels and birds. The lynx is an excellent swimmer.

A cat's jump can reach 4m in length.

However, many people mistakenly think that the lynx attacks from the heights of the trees. On the contrary, most often the lynx sits quietly in ambush, creeping up on the victim absolutely silently and unnoticed.

Lynxes do not like foxes and at the first opportunity they try to destroy them, but do not eat the prey, but simply leave it. This is due to the fact that foxes are very cunning and are always in a hurry to feast on someone else’s prey. When a lynx sees a fox nearby, it leaves its prey and waits for the fox to approach it, then attacks.

Lynx leads night image life, this is a very cautious animal, so it seems almost impossible to stumble upon it in the forest. Lynxes are loners. The animals gather only during the mating season, which occurs in late winter or early spring. Before forming a pair, the animals strongly hit their foreheads until the crunching of their bones is heard.

A female lynx bears offspring for about 70 days and usually gives birth to 2-3 kittens. After about two weeks, kittens become sighted.

The mother takes very good care of her offspring, teaches the cubs the various intricacies of hunting, and prepares them for independent life. Until they are one and a half years old, kittens live with their mother. Thank you for your attention!

Lynx (lat. Lynx) is a genus of animals of the subfamily Small cats, family Felidae, order Carnivora, class Mammals. The article describes representatives of this genus.

Two other cats that have the word “lynx” in their names: the caracal (steppe lynx) and the jungle cat (swamp lynx) do not belong to the genus lynx.

What does the word "lynx" mean?

In languages related to Russian, words close to lynx have the meaning “red”, “red”. It would seem that the etymology is simple - the name of the beast is given by the red color of its skin. In fact, the common Slavic root rysь goes back to the Indo-European leuk’ - “to glow”, “to burn” (can be compared with the Russian moon, ray). From these roots arose such words as fair-haired, bald ( highest value, apparently, was “light”, “luminous”, “glossy”). So it turns out that the lynx was so named because its eyes glowed, “burned” in the dark. And the red color gave only the initial “r” - already by association with color.

The lynx has well-developed hearing and vision, but its sense of smell is weak. The tassels on their ears are sound sensors. If a lynx is deprived of this hair, it will hear much worse.

Approaching the bedding area, the lynx jumps so that its tracks are not near the shelter: in this way it imitates its absence. During the day she dozes, but her rest is sensitive, since the predator notices any movements around her.

The wild cat leads a solitary lifestyle, carefully monitoring the absence of competitors in the chosen territory.

Females stay with the brood. Only during the breeding season are lynxes found in pairs.

What does a lynx eat?

The prey of a lynx can be any animal that it is able to overpower:

small mammals (chipmunks, sables, dormouse, raccoon dogs, marmots, beavers, etc.);
birds (grouse, hazel grouse, partridge, black grouse, bustard, pheasant);
large animals: roe deer, chamois, musk deer, wild boar, argali, fallow deer, sika and reindeer;
occasionally the lynx attacks herds of goats and kills several individuals at a time;
She kills foxes and martens as competitors, and not for food;
Canadian lynx also eats fish, marmots, martens, squirrels, and gophers;
The bobcat can also eat;
Sometimes predators attack small domestic animals and poultry (for example,).

Taken from: www.lynxexsitu.es, CC BY 3.0 es

When night falls, the animal goes out hunting. The lynx either waits for prey in ambush or steals it (that is, it gets as close as possible to the victim in order to overtake it in one jump), but never attacks from a tree. She moves slowly, stopping periodically and listening.

Whenever possible, she follows the beaten path, retracing her old steps, especially in winter. It sneaks up on prey from the leeward side. The attack begins with one, less often with 3-10 jumps. If the attack is unsuccessful, she will repeat a series of jumps over a short distance and then give up the pursuit. A lynx eats 2-3 kg of meat per day, and if it is very hungry, then up to 5 kg.

Taken from: www.lynxexsitu.es, CC BY 3.0 es

Types of lynxes, names and photos

The lynx genus includes 4 living species. Below is the classification.

Rod of Lynx (lat. Lynx):

Lynx canadensis– Canada lynx
Lynx lynx – Common lynx
Lynx pardinus– Iberian lynx, spanish lynx, Sardinian lynx
Lynx rufus – Bobcat, red lynx

In the Pleistocene, the fifth representative of the genus, the species Lynx issiodorensis, whose remains have been found in Africa, Eurasia and North America.

Below is a description of the four varieties of lynx.

Common lynx (lat. Lynx lynx)

Other names: European, Eurasian. The largest and tallest of the lynxes. The length of its body is 80-130 cm, the length of the tail is from 10 to 24.5 cm, the height of the animal at the withers is 60-75 cm. Male lynxes weigh from 18 to 30 (according to some sources 36 kg), females - from 8 to 21 kg. But this is not the limit: the weight of one male from Siberia reached 38 or even 45 kg.

In summer, the Eurasian lynx has a relatively short, reddish or brown coat, which is usually more brightly colored in animals living in the southern regions of its range. In winter, the fur becomes thicker, its color varies from silver-gray or ash-blue to grayish-brown. The underside of the animal's body, including the neck and chin, is always white. The fur is usually marked with black spots, but their placement and number are highly variable. Some individuals have dark brown stripes on the forehead and back. Several subspecies have been identified within the species.

The common lynx is the most northern view from the Feline family, living even beyond the Arctic Circle. Lives in forests, thickets of trees and shrubs, on rocky areas, in deserts, in mountains up to 5500 m above sea level. In Russia, the lynx lives in taiga and wilderness areas mixed forests, including mountain ones, sometimes enters the forest-steppe and forest-tundra, and is found everywhere, right up to Sakhalin and Kamchatka.

Canadian lynx (lat. Lynx canadensis)

Some sources call the Canadian lynx a subspecies of the common lynx. The body length of the animal varies from 67 cm (according to some sources from 80 cm) to 106 cm, tail - 5-15 cm, height at the withers - 48-56 cm, weight - from 4.5 to 11 (according to some sources up to 17. 3 kg). In winter, the lynx's fur is grayish-brown, in summer it is yellowish-brown with small white specks. Among the representatives of the species there are no melanists or albinos, but an individual with blue fur was seen in Alaska. On the underside of the animal's body, the fur is thicker and lighter. Black hair grows on the edges of the whiskers, on the tail and on the back of the ears.

Canadian lynxes live in the forests of Alaska, Canada and northern regions USA to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

Pyrenean, Spanish, or Sardinian lynx (lat. Lynx pardinus)

Other names: Iberian, leopard lynx. Previously, it was considered a small subspecies of the common lynx.

This is an animal with a short body, long legs and b O a larger tail than other members of the genus. The body length of males is 65-82 (in some sources up to 100) cm, tail - 12.5-16 (according to some sources 30 cm), height at the withers - 40-70 cm, weight from 7 to 15.9 kg. Females are smaller, their body length ranges from 68 to 75 cm, weight – 9-10 kg. The Iberian lynx has short, bright yellow or reddish-brown spotted fur, similar in color to.

The range of the Iberian lynx is limited to the mountainous regions of Spain. Back in the middle of the 20th century, its populations extended from Mediterranean Sea to Galicia ( Western part Ukraine). By 1960, it had lost 80% of its former range. This is the most rare species lynx, listed in the International Red Book.

Lives Iberian lynx in mixed forests, steppes and among rocks. It is found at altitudes from 400 to 1300 meters from sea level.

Taken from: www.lynxexsitu.es, CC BY 3.0 es

Red lynx, or red lynx (lat. Lynx rufus )

This is the smallest lynx among the four species. The size of the animals excluding the tail is 47.5-105 cm ( average length body – 82.7 cm), tail – from 9 to 20 cm, height at the withers – 30-60 cm, weight of males from 6.4 to 18 kg, females – from 4 to 15 kg. The largest animal of this species weighed 27 kg.

The American lynx has shorter legs than other species and narrow paws, as it does not need to move through deep snow. The animal's muzzle appears wide due to the looseness of the hair growing on it. The color of the lynx's coat is variable, usually it is grayish-brown with black streaks, the underside and whiskers are white with black speckles. There is a white mark on the inside of the tip of the tail. There are lynxes that are completely black and white.

Red lynxes live across most of the continental North America: From southern Canada to central Mexico. They prefer open habitats and inhabit deserts, savannas, forests, grassy and shrubby steppes. Found up to 3500 m above sea level. The species includes many subspecies.

It is believed that the lynx was named after the mythical hero Lucius, who was able to see through things.

There is even a special community called the “Lynx Academy”, it was formed in Italy in the 17th century.

Peculiarities

This animal lives in Eurasia, Kamchatka, and North America. Previously, the lynx was also found in European countries, but due to the demand for its fur, it was almost completely exterminated in these territories. On at the moment listed in the Red Book.

There are the following varieties: Canadian, Iberian, red and common lynx, below are several photos of this animal.

Externally, the lynx looks like a huge cat, usually about 1 meter long. The weight of males can reach 25-30 kg, females weigh about 20 kg. The lynx's fur is very thick.

As for color, it can be reddish, brown or gray (it all depends on where it lives). The sides and back are covered with dark spots.

It should also be noted that the lynx has a tail that is very unusual shape, it seems to be deliberately shortened. Winter wool is longer than summer wool and thicker.

Molting occurs twice a year. The front legs are longer than the hind legs, which allows the lynx to make very impressive jumps.

Also interesting feature is that the lynx's hind paws have five toes, and the front paws have four.

In winter, the lynx's soles are covered with dense fur to make it more comfortable for it to move through snowy areas. The lynx's walking style is the same as that of a wolf and a tiger; its hind paws follow the tracks of its front paws.

The lynx is an animal that has excellent hearing, all thanks to special tassels on the edge of the ears; these tassels act as a kind of antenna.

Lifestyle and habits

The lynx mainly lives in the taiga or mountain forests. Excellent for climbing trees. Lynx feels great even at temperatures of minus 60 degrees. The territory where the lynx lives and hunts can reach an area of more than 200 square meters. km, and she can cover this territory in about a week and a half.

The lynx changes location only due to food shortage. One of the lynx's most important enemies is wolves. A lynx cannot escape from wolves. Only those who hide in the trees are saved.

But it should be noted that the most main danger for the lynx it represents people, namely poachers.

The lynx's perfect hearing often allows it to hide from hunters. A lynx's claws, as well as its teeth, can cause very significant harm to a person who disturbs it.

Nutrition

Lynx is an excellent hunter. What allows her to hunt successfully is her ability to easily climb branches and even rocks, as well as the fact that she has excellent hearing and vision.

She goes out hunting very early in the morning (at about three o'clock in the morning). She can wait for the victim absolutely motionless for several hours.

To reach her prey, she easily jumps several meters forward. The speed at which a lynx pursues its prey can reach 20-40 km/h.

For a lynx to live comfortably, it is necessary to consume more than three kilograms of meat per day. If she is very hungry, she will easily eat more than five kilograms; the remaining food, as a rule, is very carelessly buried, which is why other animals discover it.

The lynx mainly feeds on hares, birds, as well as squirrels and other rodents. But larger victims also happen: deer, elk, and even wild boars. Also, the lynx will not pass by livestock. In the spring it can catch fish that spawn near the shore.

Reproduction

The lynx's mating season begins early spring, and lasts until summer. As a rule, several males permanently follow the female, while starting fights and growling.

The female then makes a choice and the couple starts a family.

They often line their house with feathers or grass.

Lynx cubs appear after about 2.5 months, usually three or four of them. Each weight is approximately 300-350 g. After a week, the kitten begins to develop hunting instincts. To do this, the parents hide some small rodent not far from the kitten, and the kitten has to find it himself.

When the lynx cubs are about two months old, both parents go hunting and leave them unattended, which is why the lynx cubs sometimes become victims of predators, most often they are attacked by foxes, but attacks by dogs also happen.

At about six months of age, they already try to get their own food without outside help.

When the kittens turn one year old, their mother separates them from herself in order to have new offspring.

Life expectancy in the wild is approximately 20-25 years. At the moment, a breed called “domestic lynx” has been bred, this was done specifically for those who want to have such an animal in their home, or even apartment.

Photo of lynx

In order to preserve endangered species of plants and animals, the Red Book was created. To the animals that are included in it treat and . This representative of the cat family is considered the largest of the lynx genus. It can reach length more than a meter, with a short thin tail. Weight about 20 kg. The peculiarity of these animals is that they have tassels on the tips of their ears and wide sideburns on the sides of the head, which visually enlarges it.

Tassels on the ears perform important function. With their help, the predator picks up even the quietest sounds, which is very helpful during the hunt. In addition to well-developed hearing, it has a good sense of smell and vision. He can climb trees, rocks and swim very well.

Lynx has very beautiful fur, especially in the cold season. The fur becomes very thick and soft. The color is ashen and reddish on the upper part of the body, and the belly is white. The entire body is covered with small spots. Due to this appearance, common lynxes have good camouflage abilities.

Habitat of the common lynx

Mainly lives in dense forests with thickets of windbreaks and rocky outcrops. In open forests it is almost impossible to find this animal. The common lynx can be found in Carpathian forests. Such areas with dense vegetation create ideal conditions for the habitat of these cats. In search of food, they can go to the meadows, but remain there for a long time.

The predator does not like to migrate. And if there is enough game for food, it can spend its entire life in one territory.

What does the common lynx eat?

The main food of the lynx are hares, roe deer, rodents, and various birds.
For unknown reasons, he has a terrible dislike for foxes. She does not eat them, but does not miss the opportunity to kill them.
During the snowy season, the animal can attack larger animals. Thanks to its long legs and furry paw pads, the cat can move through the snow without difficulty.

The common lynx goes out in search of prey at nightfall. There is an opinion that it attacks prey from a tree, but this is not so. The predator prefers to wait patiently or sneak up with careful steps and attack sharply.

The animal tries to avoid people. It hears them approaching several meters away and tries not to catch their eye. When they come hard times and the lynx does not have enough food in the forest, it can enter nearby settlements to profit from a cat or dog. This predator can overcome an adult shepherd dog. But cases when they appear among people are very rare; they can mainly be found in dense coniferous forests.

Reproduction of the common lynx

The mating season for lynx falls in February and March. At this time, the animals behave very noisily. Several males follow the female and try to prove their superiority over others by starting a fight. The winner becomes the chosen one of the female. Pregnancy lasts 10 weeks. Usually the mother takes care of the offspring. She prefers to give birth to kittens between the roots of old trees or makes a nest in a hollow. The female lines this place with wool, leaves and feathers.

Children are born blind. Basically, the lynx brings two or three babies. Vision begins two weeks after birth, and kittens live off their mother’s milk for up to three months.

After this, adults begin to introduce meat into the babies’ diet. They bring captured animals to the lair. Gradually, the mother teaches the young to hunt. Until next autumn, small lynxes live under the care of their parents, after which they leave them.
Previously, these animals were considered harmful and tried in every possible way to exterminate them. But in fact, lynx plays an important role in forest biocenoses. Its presence is undesirable only on farms where they breed birds, roe deer, and deer.

The number of lynxes is rapidly decreasing. This mainly happens due to high level mortality in childhood and decrease in forest area. Although hunting for them, especially during the breeding season, is strictly prohibited, illegal extermination of predators still occurs, primarily due to valuable fur. These factors significantly worsen the living conditions of animals and can lead to their complete disappearance.

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The European lynx has typical feline features and reaches the size of a large dog. As the name suggests, the lynx lives in Europe.

The body length of the European lynx ranges from 82-105 centimeters, plus a tail 20-31 centimeters long. Body weight reaches 8-15 kilograms. IN winter time The weight of males reaches 18-20 kilograms.

It is widespread in countries such as Finland, Scandinavia, Albania, Romania, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Poland, and the Ukrainian Carpathians. European lynxes also live in Russia.

Description of the European lynx

The body is dense and short. The tip of the tail is chopped off. The limbs are strong and long, the ears are triangular in shape, the ends are pointed and decorated with tassels. The head is round, small, with sideburns on the sides. The muzzle is short. The eye shape is wide, the pupils are vertical.

The fur of the European lynx is thick and soft. The fur is longest on the belly. The coat color is gray-red, with a reddish or silver tint. Shedding occurs twice a year: in autumn and spring. In summer, the fur is shorter and coarser, and its color is brighter than in winter. In winter, the fur becomes very thick.

Lifestyle of European lynxes

European lynxes live in a variety of habitats, preferring mixed forests, especially deaf and heavily overgrown. Outside the breeding season, European lynxes lead a solitary life.

Males mark the boundaries of their territories with excrement, and hunting trails they mark using urine.

European lynxes are excellent hunters. During the day they rest in the den, and become active at dusk. They are excellent tree climbers and excellent swimmers. Victims are ambushed: they select a place from good review and wait for the prey to appear. A lynx can remain motionless for hours; it completely blends into the background of the area. The predator's vision is very sharp and its hearing is subtle, which helps during hunting. Having discovered the prey, the lynx patiently sneaks towards it.

Lynxes do not run very well; they are able to pursue prey for about 80 kilometers, and then lose strength. Ungulates are attacked by lynxes in winter, when they cannot get out of the snow. In winter, one male eats 2.5-3 kilograms per day, and when hungry, it eats 5-6 kilograms. Like many predators, lynxes crush larger animals than they need.

Listen to the voice of the European lynx

European lynxes are such cautious animals that rarely anyone has been able to spot them in nature. They lead sedentary image life, but when there is not enough food or in severe frosts they go on a journey. In one night, a lynx can cover 6-10 kilometers. The lynx completely covers its territory in 5-10 days. Although lynxes are cautious, they are not too afraid of people and in times of hunger can climb into settlements, even in major cities.

The mainstay of the European lynx's diet is snowshoe hares, and the rest of the diet consists of partridges, grouse, squirrels, roe deer mice, reindeer and sika deer.

The main enemy of the European lynx is humans. In winter, they are hunted by wolverines and packs of wolves. If a lynx meets a fox, a domestic cat, raccoon dog or a marten, she will mercilessly devour it. The lifespan of the European lynx is 15-20 years.

European lynx breeding

Breeding season european lynxes occurs in February-March. The female is courted by several males, who fight fiercely with each other. When members of the opposite sex meet, they greet each other by sniffing their noses and then begin to butt heads.

The female creates a den in which she will raise her offspring. The hole is made under the roots of fallen trees, in holes, caves and other secluded places. Badger burrows can be used. The female lines the den with feathers, grass and wool. Both parents take care of the children.

Pregnancy lasts 63-70 days. Gives birth to 2 or 3 deaf and blind kittens, weighing 250-300 grams.

Their vision appears after 12 days. At one month, babies begin to receive solid food as a subcortex. The milk feeding period is about 4 months. Until the next breeding season, the young remain with the adults, they hunt together. Puberty in male European lynxes occurs at 33 months, and in females earlier - at 21 months.

The benefits and harms of European lynxes for people

The fur of the European lynx is very beautiful, so it is highly valued. In the Middle Ages, the meat of these animals was considered a delicacy.

These predators attack people and domestic animals extremely rarely. Previously, European lynxes were considered as pests, but their role in forest biocenoses is extremely important. Young lynx cubs caught in captivity are well tamed and trained.