Eurasian lynx

The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is a medium-sized wild cat widely distributed from Northern, Central and Eastern Europe to Central Asia and Siberia, the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas. It inhabits temperate and boreal forests up to an elevation of . Despite its wide distribution, it is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching and depletion of prey. Felis lynx was the scientific name used in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in his work Systema Naturae. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the following Eurasian lynx subspecies were proposed: The following were also proposed, but are not considered valid taxa: Altai lynx (L. l. wardi) Baikal lynx (L. l. kozlovi) Amur lynx (L. l. stroganovi) Sardinian lynx (L. l. sardiniae) The Eurasian lynx has a relatively short, reddish or brown coat that is marked with black spots; their number and pattern are highly variable. The underparts, neck and chin are whitish. The fur is more brightly coloured with more numerous spots in animals living at the southern end of its range. In winter, it is much thicker and varies from silver-grey to greyish brown. Some animals have dark brown stripes on the forehead and back. It has powerful, relatively long legs, with large webbed and furred paws that act like snowshoes. It also has a short "bobbed" tail with an all-black tip, black tufts of hair on its ears, and a long grey-and-white ruff. It is the largest of the four lynx species, ranging in body length from in males; in females; and standing at the shoulder. The tail is long, constituting a total length of up to in the largest males. Weights of both sexes in Russia range from , but more than is attained very rarely and is possibly exaggerated. A Eurasian lynx from the Altai Mountains weighed . Those inhabiting Fennoscandia and westwards are considerably smaller, with a range of just , though individuals in the Carpathian Mountains may rival those in the Altai in size. The Eurasian lynx inhabits rugged country providing plenty of hideouts and stalking opportunities.

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Eurasian lynx