Canada lynx: status, range, size and diet
A snowshoe-footed cat of the northern forests of North America whose numbers rise and fall with those of the snowshoe hare, listed as Least Concern.
Also known as Lynx canadensis, Canadian lynx, North American lynx
At a glance
| Scientific name | Lynx canadensis |
|---|---|
| Group | Medium wild cats |
| Weight | Females about 5-12 kg, males about 6-17 kg |
| Length | Total length about 73-107 cm including a tail of 5-13 cm |
| Lifespan in the wild | Up to about 16 years, though most die before 10 |
| Known for | Large furred paws that act as snowshoes, and a population cycle that follows the snowshoe hare. |
Status
| IUCN Red List category | Least Concern |
|---|---|
| Assessed in | 2016 |
Where it lives
| Range | Alaska and Canada, with small populations in the northern United States, from the Pacific Northwest and Rockies to the Great Lakes and Maine |
|---|---|
| Habitat | Dense northern boreal and high mountain forest with deep winter snow |
| Diet | Snowshoe hares above all, plus squirrels, grouse and other small animals |
Main threats
- Loss of boreal and mountain forest
- Competition from coyotes and bobcats
- Loss of snowshoe hares
- Trapping where it is legal
About
The Canada lynx is a medium-sized cat with long legs, very large furred paws, a short black-tipped tail and tufts on its ears. Its dense, silvery-brown coat and ruff around the face suit the cold. It looks much like the bobcat, though the lynx has a shorter tail, longer ear tufts and bigger feet, and it travels easily over soft snow that slows other predators.
Lynx are solitary, hunt mostly at night and twilight, and spend their days resting in thick cover.
Where it lives and what it eats
The species lives across the boreal forests of Alaska and Canada, and in the northern United States it survives in the Pacific Northwest, the northern Rockies, the Great Lakes and Maine. It prefers dense forest and avoids open ground, heavily logged areas and farmland.
It depends on one prey animal. Snowshoe hares can make up anywhere from about a third to almost all of what a lynx eats. Hare numbers rise and fall roughly every eight to eleven years, and lynx numbers follow them, usually a year or two behind, in one of the best-known cycles in ecology. When hares crash, lynx starve, kittens survive in smaller numbers and the cats range farther to find food.
Threats and conservation
The IUCN lists the species as Least Concern, in an assessment completed in 2016, because of its large range in Canada and Alaska. The picture is different in the southern edge of its range. Forest loss is the main threat in the lower 48 states, where the lynx has been listed as Threatened under the US Endangered Species Act since 2000. In the east, coyotes compete with lynx, and along the southern border lynx can interbreed with bobcats.
Colorado began a reintroduction in 1999, and wildlife managers describe that population as established after more than a decade of releases. Lynx are still trapped for fur in most of Alaska and Canada, under seasons and quotas that agencies adjust when numbers fall. The southern part of the range is closed to trapping.
Cats and people
The Canada lynx rarely meets people. It is shy, and attacks on humans are almost unheard of. Its pelt was an important part of the northern fur trade, and records of pelts traded by the Hudson's Bay Company gave early scientists some of the first long data sets on animal cycles. Lynx are kept in zoos in North America. Anyone who finds a lynx on a hiking trail should keep a distance and leave it alone.
Profile last reviewed November 7, 2026