Canada Lynx
CANADA LYNX (Lynx canadensis)
The Canada lynx is a medium sized cat found across much of Canada and Alaska, as well as a few populations in the contiguous United States. It is a specialized predator, almost exclusively predating on snowshoe hares. Due the the hare's cyclic population cycles, the Canada lynx also undergoes population booms and busts about every eight to eleven years. These cats are predominantly found in dense boreal forests which makes them elusive and hard to find.
Difficulty: Difficult
Canada Lynx Tour Statistics
1 CANADA LYNX
TOUR RUN
5 AVG NUMBER OF CATS SEEN PER TOUR
2 MINUTES ON AVG
WITH EACH CAT
Canada Lynx Description
The Canada lynx is a medium sized cat, weighing around 8 to 11 kilograms (17-24 pounds). Like other lynx species, their tail is short, only being 10-15 centimeters in length (4-6 inches). The tail is all black, which is a distinguishing feature from bobcats. Like bobcats, Canada lynx have longer hind legs giving them the appearance that they are leaning forward. The ear tufts are prominent, extending from the top of the ears. Like all other lynx species, Canada lynx have long hair on their lower cheeks. They have brownish-gray fur in the summer, and in the winter, when we run our Canada lynx photo tour, their fur is gray. Their paws are covered with thick, dense fur, adding to their ability to walk more easily though snow. In fact, Canada lynx paws support twice the weight of bobcat paws.
This sub-adult Canada lynx exemplifies the usual gray fur we see during our Canada lynx photo tour. Its large paws allow it to glide over the snow, as its weight is distributed amongst its four large feet. Like other lynx it has the characteristic cheek and ear tufts.
Canada Lynx Distribution and Habitat
The Canada lynx has a large, wide-spread distribution across most of Canada, Alaska, and extending into the lower contiguous United States along the Rocky Mountains. Its range closely mirrors that of the snowshoe hare, its principal prey. Canada lynx have successfully been re-introduced in Colorado, which boasts the largest population in the United States. Canada lynx are tied to boreal forests, avoiding areas with no cover, like the plains of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Their absolute favorite habitat in dense forests include thickets and tangles of fallen trees. Trees with tipped up roots are used by the lynx as shelter during extremely cold weather events. In areas where Canada lynx and bobcats overlap, lynx are found at higher elevations and in areas with deeper snow, since bobcats are unable to utilize those habitats.
Boreal forest, with downed trees is the perfect habitat for Canada lynx, and their main prey, snowshoe hares.
Canada Lynx Feeding Biology
Canada Lynx are snowshoe hare specialists, almost exclusively relying on them for food. Snowshoe hares experience 8-11 year population cycles, with densities during low years being as few as 3 hares per square kilometer and up to 4000 hares per square kilometers during peak years. This obviously has a tremendous effect on the lynx, who's populations in turn fluctuate accordingly. We will in fact only run our Canada lynx photo tour during years of medium to high snowshoe hare and lynx densities. Canada lynx kill on average one hare per day to one hare every two days. To catch a snowshoe hare, Canada lynx mostly kill by ambush, when hares walk near waiting lynx. Other times, though less effective, Canada lynx will pursue snowshoe hares after stalking them through the snow. Canada lynx will scavenge carcasses and will occasionally prey on species like squirrels and grouse, when opportunistically convenient.
Canada lynx, though generally solitary, have been observed to hunt cooperatively, including by us during a previous Canada lynx photo tour. This cooperative hunting is generally done by a mother and her young, where the young flush prey towards their mother who catches the unsuspecting prey.
Canada lynx will generally not eat the stomach, intestines, fore and hind paws of snowshoe hares. They may cache prey between feedings, covering it with snow or leaves. They will return to these caches between one and six days to continue feeding.
Gamebirds, like this Ruffed Grouse are potential prey items of Canada lynx, but they almost exclusively feed on snowshoe hares.
Canada Lynx Social Organization
Canada lynx are generally solitary and loosely territorial, depending on snowshoe hare availability. Unlike most other felids, Canada lynx can have territories that completely overlap those of other lynx, or at other times, will be fully exclusive of each other. When hare densities are low, lynx may fully abandon their territories to wander widely in search of food. Due to the cyclical population trends of both snowshoe hare and Canada lynx, lynx densities have high variability. During low population years, Canada lynx will have densities of one cat per 100 square kilometers, compared to forty-four individuals per 100 square kilometers in high population years.
Most lynx ranges are small, from 15 to 50 square kilometers, but these can increase tremendously, especially during low hare years, with ranges of up to 783 square kilometers being recorded. Like other cats, male territories are larger than those of females. To mark their territories, both males and females spay urine and defecate, often in prominent spots.
Canada lynx mark their territories via urine and scat. When relaxed its possible to see natural behavior like scratching.
Canada Lynx Reproduction
Canada lynx have a short breeding season, lasting about a month, generally around March into early April. This is the primary reason we hold our Canada Lynx photo tour in march, as the cats are more likely to move within their territories and are therefor more visible. Estrus lasts about three to five days, and the cycle is about a month long. After a gestation period of around sixty-three days, one to eight Canada lynx kittens are born. Canada lynx will adjust their reproduction based on hare availability with no kittens being born in very low snowshoe hare years.
Canada lynx dens are in thick cover, often in tangles of blown down trees and their roots. The den sites generally offer good visibility in multiple directions. Like other felids, Canada lynx kittens are born with closed eyes, which open at around two weeks. Kittens follow their mother at five weeks and are weaned by twelve weeks. At ten months old, Canada lynx kittens leave their mother and disperse to find their own territories. Dispersal for Canada lynx varies tremendously on hare numbers, as is the case with all aspects of their natural history. During high hare years, lynx will remain close to their mother's territory. During low hare years, Canada lynx can disperse as far as 1000 kilometers (621 miles).
Canada lynx can live up to fifteen years in the wild, though based on prey availability their lives are often much shorter.
We have a decent chance of seeing Canada lynx kittens during our Canada lynx photo tour, who may still be with their mother before she mates again.