The Canada lynx weighs 11-38 pounds (5-17.2 kg), and is 19-22 inches (48.3-55.9 cm) tall at the shoulder, and is about 3 feet (0.91 m) in length. Males are larger than females.
It has very thick, light brown or gray fur with light black spots and large ears with long black tufts at the ends. Its tail is short with a black tip at the end. It has a pointed, beard-like ruff and long legs with big paws.
Its paws work like snowshoes and distribute the lynx’s weight. This helps it move in the snow.
Canada lynx live deep in coniferous forests near rocky areas, bogs, and swamps.
About 75% of the Canada lynx’s diet consists of snowshoe hares. It also eats birds, meadow voles, carrion (dead animals), and sometimes larger animals like deer and caribou.
Adult Canada lynx are solitary hunters, meaning they usually hunt alone. However, a mother and her kittens may hunt together while the young are still learning. The lynx is nocturnal (mostly active at night) and uses stealth to stalk its prey before quickly pouncing.
Canada lynx are also skilled climbers. They can climb trees and sometimes wait on branches, watching for prey moving below.
During mating season, the male follows a female. Canada lynx mate between February and March. Two months after mating, the female gives birth to one to six kittens. The average litter has two to four kittens.
The kittens have soft fur that may be streaked or spotted. They are fully weaned (no longer need their mother’s milk) at about three months old. However, they often begin eating meat when they are as young as one month old.
The kittens stay with their mother for their first year. Once they leave their mother, the young lynxes may stay together for a short time.
Canada lynx are territorial and solitary. The home ranges of females may overlap, and a male’s and a female’s range may overlap, but a male’s range is separate from other males.
The Canada lynx often stores leftover kill by covering it with snow.
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The Canada lynx is an endangered species in New Hampshire. A breeding population was present in the northern part of the state until the 1950s. Since then, there have been some sightings of the lynx in the White Mountains.
In January 2006, Canada lynx tracks were confirmed on U.S. Route 2 in Jefferson, New Hampshire.
In 2011, four Canada lynx kittens were caught on video in Pittsburg, New Hampshire, indicating that the lynx might be breeding in the state.
The lynx’s range extends over most of Canada and Alaska, and south into parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, as well as parts of the northern U.S.
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