Among all the diversity that the animals of the taiga can boast of, the lynx, perhaps, has given rise to the greatest number of superstitions and delusions among people far from these lands. Most people consider her a rather large cat - almost the size of an Amur tiger. There are tales about the deceit of the beast and chilling stories about how she jumps from a branch onto a person’s neck (moose, wild boar …) and breaks his back, how she enters dwellings and drags children away. In our opinion, the lynx is an animal that does not deserve such a biased attitude. She lives, hunts, raises cubs, like any other taiga (or living in other places) animal. Let's talk about it in more detail.
Animal appearance
Contrary to popular belief, this cat is not too big. Its dimensions are unlikely to exceed the dimensions of the average shepherd dog. With a body length of a meter, it weighs no more than fifteen kilograms, and small specimens barely exceed eight at all. Her physiquesomewhat thicker than in domestic cats; the tail is short compared to them - no longer than 30 centimeters - and has a blunt tip resembling a stump. There are characteristic tassels on the ears, according to which even a person far from zoology will understand that there is a lynx in front of him. The description of the animal should be supplemented with a mention of the membranes between the toes on the paws, thanks to which the cat does not fall through even in loose, non-packed snow. These predators live up to 21 years, if they do not die from the teeth of natural enemies or human hands earlier.
Habitats
In bygone times, 200-300 years ago, even Europeans knew what a lynx was. The animal was distributed quite widely, and was found much south of the current areas of residence. However, everywhere it was considered a harmful predator and was mercilessly exterminated. Today in Russia it inhabits deaf conifers between Kamchatka and Sakhalin. By the way, the beast "discovered" this island not so long ago. In other regions, also in deserted forests, one can meet lynx - the animal is observed in Central Asia, in the Carpathians and in the Caucasus. Everywhere populations are very small, which is why they are protected.
Subsistence method
It must be said that the lynx is a territorial and sedentary animal, but if necessary, when it ceases to have enough food, it can roam. At the heart of her diet are hares, which are supplemented by rodents and birds - black grouse, partridges and hazel grouse. The beast avoids large animals, but it can kill young roe deer, elk, fallow deer, and, if the case arises, even wild boar gilts. Lynx hunts(photos of the animal are given in the article) from an ambush, quietly sneaking up and suddenly attacking. She does not withstand a long run, and if the prey managed to dodge, the pursuit stops. The beast never jumps from a tree to a prey, although it climbs well, it can jump not only from one branch to another, but also on trees. However, it uses this method of movement only to escape danger. The lynx swims excellently, but does it extremely reluctantly, like all cats. The animal does not eat all the prey at once - it partially hides it “for a rainy day”. The natural enemies of the lynx are wolverines and wolves. In the habitats of the latter, the lynx practically does not live.
Lynx parents
In February, at the latest - in March, the "courtship season" begins for lynxes. At this time, animals that usually prefer loneliness and chase competitors from their hunting territory are quite patient with their neighbors. Quite bloody fights happen for the female. Pregnancy in lynxes lasts from 63 to 70 days; the female usually brings 2-3 kittens. Both parents take care of the offspring. For the first couple of months, the lynxes feed exclusively on mother's milk, then, with the advent of teeth, they switch to the usual predatory diet, but they continue to be fed from their mother for quite a long time. At three months, they begin to accompany their parents, and by 8-9, when the spotting of the skin appears, they begin to participate in the hunt. Children stay with their mother until the next rut; if she has not acquired a mate, the lynxes can stay with her further until they themselves enterbreeding age.
What is the value of lynxes?
The reasons why these animals were so carefully destroyed are not completely clear. They are considered almost pests, but they can just as well be considered "forest orderlies" like wolves: first of all, they exterminate sick, inferior and weak representatives of the species. The lynx avoids people; in hungry winters, it can come close to housing in the hope of feasting on poultry or livestock offspring - but the same behavior is also characteristic of wolves, foxes, ferrets and even bears, not counting harmless ungulates. Unless, because of the skin, lynx populations could be actively beaten out: its fur is durable and beautiful, highly valued in the fur trade.
By the way, lynx meat, unlike most predators, is tasty and tender, a bit like veal. In the modern world, predators are rejected by cooking. And at ancient Russian feasts they were considered a delicacy.
So the lynx is not so harmful and useless. The photo of the animal, by the way, shows how beautiful and graceful it is. And no worse or better than any other predator - nature created them that way.
