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“Black ear tufts on a Eurasian lynx can reach nearly 2 inches (5 cm) long.”
The Eurasian lynx is a medium-sized forest wild cat with long black ear tufts and a short black-tipped tail. It stalks deer and hares across Europe and Asia and is listed as Least Concern.
Lynx lynxCarnivoraFelidae
Browse photographs of Eurasian lynx across habitat, behavior, anatomy, and life stages.
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A closer look at habitat, diet, behavior, reproduction, and conservation.
With long black ear tufts and a short black-tipped tail, the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is the largest lynx species and a stealthy carnivore of Eurasian forests. This mid-sized member of the Felidae family stalks deer and hares from Scandinavia and the Carpathians across Russia to parts of Central and East Asia.
The Eurasian lynx belongs to the genus Lynx, which also includes the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, and North American bobcat. Its scientific name is Lynx lynx. Within Felidae it sits between small cats such as the sand cat and large ambush hunters such as the leopard.
Several subspecies reflect the species’ wide Eurasian range, from European forest lynx to highland Asian forms. Compared with Canada lynx, Eurasian lynx are generally larger and more often take ungulate prey; compared with bobcats, they are heavier and more strongly associated with deep forest and mountain woodland.
Adult Eurasian lynx typically measure 32 to 51 inches (80 to 130 cm) in body length, with a short 4- to 10-inch (11 to 25 cm) tail tipped in black. Shoulder height is often 24 to 30 inches (60 to 75 cm). Weight commonly ranges from about 40 to 80 pounds (18 to 36 kg), with males larger than females.
The coat is grayish to reddish-brown and may be lightly spotted, helping the cat break up its outline in dappled forest light. Long black ear tufts, a facial ruff, and large padded paws are classic lynx traits. Retractable claws and silent footfalls support ambush hunting on soft ground and snow.
Eurasian lynx favor forest habitats — boreal and temperate woodlands, mixed forests, and mountain forest edges with cover for dens and stalking. They avoid open plains without tall vegetation. The modern range stretches across much of northern and eastern Europe into Russia, Siberia, and portions of Central and East Asia, though local European populations were historically reduced and later helped by reintroduction projects.
Home ranges can be large where prey is scarce. Daytime resting sites include dense thickets, rocky ledges, and windfalls. Connected forest corridors matter because solitary adults patrol extensive territories.
Eurasian lynx are strict carnivores. Roe deer and other medium ungulates are important in many regions, along with hares, rabbits, rodents, birds, and opportunistic kills of foxes or livestock near forest edges. Hunting is usually solitary: stalk through cover, then a short explosive rush.
Large kills may be cached under snow, leaves, or brush and revisited over several days. Plant matter is incidental. In deep winter snow, oversized paws help lynx travel where heavier prey struggles.
Adult Eurasian lynx are solitary and territorial outside the breeding season. They communicate with scent marks, scrapes, and quiet vocalizations. Mothers alone raise kittens and may move dens if disturbed.
Activity peaks at dusk and dawn, though night hunting is common. When threatened they usually slip away into cover rather than confront larger predators such as wolves. Interactions with people are uncommon in healthy forest landscapes with ample wild prey.
Breeding often peaks in late winter or early spring. After a gestation of about 67 to 74 days, the female gives birth to usually 2 to 3 kittens in a secluded den among rocks, roots, or dense undergrowth. Kittens are born blind and open their eyes within about two weeks.
Solid food begins in the first months, and hunting practice continues through summer and autumn. Young typically stay with the mother for close to a year before dispersing. Wild Eurasian lynx often live 10 to 15 years, with longer spans recorded in human care.
(Population and conservation trend data sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species)
The Eurasian lynx is classified as Least Concern, with a broadly stable global population. Status varies by region: some European populations remain small and fragmented after historic persecution and forest loss.
Threats include habitat fragmentation, vehicle collisions, illegal killing, and depletion of wild prey. Reintroduction and forest connectivity programs have restored lynx to parts of central Europe. Maintaining large woodland tracts and night-safe road crossings helps keep populations healthy near developed areas.
Black ear tufts on a Eurasian lynx can reach nearly 2 inches (5 cm) long.
Its short tail usually has a solid black tip, unlike the bobcat’s half-black tip.
Large paws act like snowshoes when the cat walks on soft winter snow.
A Eurasian lynx may take a deer every few days and cache leftovers under snow or leaves.
Adults are usually solitary except when mothers raise kittens.
Compared with Canada lynx, Eurasian lynx are larger and often hunt more deer.
Select a question to reveal the answer.
A Eurasian lynx is a medium-sized wild cat (*Lynx lynx*) in the Felidae family. It is known for long ear tufts, a short black-tipped tail, and a forest hunting lifestyle across Eurasia.
Eurasian lynx live in forests and woodlands from northern and central Europe through Russia, Siberia, and parts of Central and East Asia.
They are carnivores that hunt roe deer, hares, rabbits, rodents, birds, and sometimes foxes or young red deer.
Eurasian lynx are larger, live in Europe and Asia, and usually show longer ear tufts. Bobcats are smaller North American cats with a shorter “bobbed” tail pattern.
The black ear tufts likely help funnel faint sounds and may also help lynx signal to one another in dense forest.
A baby Eurasian lynx is called a kitten. Litters usually have two or three kittens raised by the mother alone.
The species is listed as Least Concern overall, but some local populations were reduced by hunting and need reintroduction and forest connectivity to recover.
They are shy and usually avoid people. Sightings are uncommon because they prefer deep cover and hunt mostly at dawn, dusk, or night.
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