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The beautiful, elusive bobcats have a huge range that stretches across the United States, Canada, and central Mexico. This night hunter is a successful predator, but what are the lynx’s favorite foods? Read on to find out what lynxes eat.
What is a lynx?
Lynx (Lynx rufus) is a small member of the lynx family. It is the most common wildcat in North America. He looks like his Canadian lynx cousin. He has the same pointed ears with fur, but they are much smaller. The average lynx weighs 13 to 40 pounds, and the males are larger than the females.
You can find these wild cats in almost every state in the United States, but they are difficult to spot because these predators are excellent at hiding from human eyes. They have adapted to survive in arid deserts, temperate forests, subtropical forests, and snow-capped mountain regions. These hardy, adaptable cats change their diet based on what’s available in their environment.
What does a lynx eat?
As a must-have carnivore and expert hunter, it feeds on smaller mammals and birds. It prefers rabbits and hares, but hunts and eats larger animals if their preferred food is not available. As a result, its diet largely depends on what is around, and lynxes are easy to hunt.
In New England, snowshoe hares are their main food source. Research published in Wildlife Management Journal found that lynxes in Maine mainly hunted snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus). This study found that up to 76% of cats in the region ate these hares, which were abundant in the region.
The researchers also found that these animals preferred to hunt in the so-called dense undergrowth, which are forested areas with a lot of hardwood.
Lynx diet in snowy regions
Another study examined the effects of deep winter snow and lack of food on the lynx’s diet.
This study found that wild cats in snowy regions mainly eat the following animals:
Cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) are large rodents that inhabit most of the western and central United States.
Mountain ranges
In the Pacific Northwest, lynxes have shown how well they adapt to different conditions. In 1988, researchers studied the hunting and eating habits of the lynx in the Oregon Cascade Mountains.
These were the main foods they ate.
- Snowshoe hares: they were eaten by 30% of lynxes.
- Black tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus): They were eaten by 22%.
- Mountain beaver (Rufa’s applause): 12% of beavers ate.
- Rodents and moles: The number of lynxes eating them has increased from 9% in winter to 37% in spring.
- Birds: 10% ate them, mostly black grouse.
The researchers found that the lynx’s diet changes during the spring and summer. For example, they ate beavers and rodents more often during the warmer months. Of these rodents, squirrels were the animals they ate most often.
“The variety of prey in the lynx diet has increased from 17 in the winter to 35 in the spring,” they noted. “The second largest change in lynx diet between seasons occurred between summer and fall.” With the transition to autumn weather, wild cats ate more hares, deer and rodents, and hunting for beavers, mice and birds also decreased.
Desert diet
Lynxes also live in desert climates. What are they eating there?
The study of their hunting habits in desert regions followed the lynx living in the Chihuahua Desert of Mexico. It is a dry, rocky region where lynxes are the only wildcat and the largest predator. In this area, they favored rabbits over other available prey. These lynxes also ate squirrels, mice, raccoons and lizards.
Although farmers in the area feared that lynxes would eat their sheep and goats, there was no evidence that any livestock ate any livestock by lynxes. These wild cats have shown that they can survive in almost any environment where there are many small mammals and birds.
Complete list of the top 10 foods to eat for lynxes
How do they hunt their prey?
Like most felines, they are most active at dawn and dusk. When the light is dim, they leave their den to chase their prey. They usually wake up before sunset, hunt, and then go to bed. Before dawn they get up and hunt again.
Lynxes use ambush techniques to catch their prey. They have keen hearing and vision even in low light. They repeatedly cross their chosen territory, listening and observing small animals. When he hears or sees something, the lynx freezes in place and waits for the animal to emerge from the grass or bushes. The lynx pounces on the animal, pins it with its paw and bites the victim by the neck.
Are they good hunters?
Lynxes are excellent hunters. They can even hunt and kill animals much larger than they are. When they kill the deer, they jump on the deer’s back from the tree and bite it on the throat. Lynxes mainly hunt deer, but they are known to kill adults when their favorite prey is scarce.
However, they prefer to hunt small game, and their favorites are rabbits and hares.
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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Lynx – herbivore, carnivore or omnivore?
It is a carnivore. It eats rabbits, mice, squirrels, and other small mammals.
Do they have predators?
The adult lynx has few predators, but owls, foxes, and coyotes often prey on cubs of lynxes. However, lynxes are popular hunting targets for the fur trade. Lynx hunting is legal in several states and Canada, and trophy lynx hunting is legal in Mexico. Hunting is strictly regulated in all of these countries, and lynxes are a protected species in about 10 states.
Are lynxes endangered?
They are not endangered. They are listed as “Least Concern” in terms of conservation status. However, habitat destruction and other environmental factors have damaged lynx populations in some areas.
For example, in the Florida Everglades, introduced Burmese pythons have become a serious problem. These aggressive snakes can grow large enough to eat deer, alligators, and at least one lynx.
Moreover, these snakes regularly eat small mammals and rodents, on which the lynx depends for survival. Their presence wreaked havoc on populations of endangered animals and wiped out populations of deer, lynx, raccoons, rabbits and waders. They exterminated possums and foxes.
To control these aggressive snakes, the Florida government has hired teams of professional snake hunters. The state hosts an annual Python Challenge, which awards cash prizes to the hunters who catch the most pythons.
Do lynxes live in every state in the United States?
They have colonies in every state except Delaware. They can drive through the state on their hunting trips, but they don’t live there.
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