Lynx lynx
The eurasian lynx is a medium-sized felid that lives in the whole north Asia, Himalaya and Scandinavian peninsula and in fragmented populations in Europe and Caucasus. The fur changes seasonally with the summer fur being red-brown and the winter fur being grey-brown. A very distinguable characteristic of this animals is the shape of its ears, which is pointed with a bunch of long hair developing dorsally. Its paws are webbed, robust and broad to help the animal walk and run in the snow.
The breeding happens in January-April and the gestation lasts 67-74 days. Th litter consists on 1-4 kittens. They reach sexual maturity in 2 years and the lifespan is 20 years in captivity.
According to the IUCN the species is considered as Least Concern (2015).
The lynx is easily distinguished from the other wild felids of Greece because of its big size (80-130 cm body length, 60-75 cm body height) and its distinctive pointed ears.
There are 6 valid subspecies of the european lynx. In Greece occurs the Lynx lynx balcanicus.
Distribution (worldwide)
The European lynx is an animals adapted to survive in very cold environments. This is resembled in its geographical range wich includes the whole northern Asia, the Himalaya, the Scandinavian peninsula and some certain spots in central and southern Europe and around Caucasus.
Distribution (Greece)
The most possible scenario is that there is no stable population of the eurasian lynx in Greece. Many records have been made in the last 20 years that show the occurance of the animal in the north-western part of the country. New continuous research must be made to complete our knowledge about the exact limits of lynx’s range.