The lynx is a carnivore that depends on its sharp eyesight and acute hearing. They often ambush their prey rather than chasing it. Although their diet is made up of animals such as birds, hares, rabbits, foxes, and deer, their primary food source is the snowshoe hare. They are known to hide their kill by covering it with a thin layer of snow or leaves. They are often found in forests in dense vegetation. This nocturnal hunter is known to vary its range according to the availability of prey. |
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The normally solitary male will search out a female in mid-March. The female will give birth to a litter of up to 4 kittens, in a hollow tree or beneath dense undergrowth. The kittens are born helpless and develop slowly, they are weaned at 2 months but remain with the mother until the following spring. The lynx is at the top of the food chain and as a result has no animal predators. Humans kill large numbers of lynx each year for the fur industry. |