Iberian lynx: status, range, size and diet
The world's most threatened cat until recently, a spotted rabbit hunter of Spain and Portugal now recovering and listed as Vulnerable.
Also known as Lynx pardinus, Spanish lynx, Pardel lynx
At a glance
| Scientific name | Lynx pardinus |
|---|---|
| Group | Medium wild cats |
| Weight | About 7-16 kg |
| Length | Head and body about 68-82 cm, tail 12-16 cm |
| Lifespan in the wild | Up to about 13 years |
| Known for | Recovering from fewer than 100 animals in 2002 through captive breeding and releases. |
Status
| IUCN Red List category | Vulnerable |
|---|---|
| Assessed in | 2024 |
| Population estimate | Estimated 648 mature individuals |
| Estimate from | 2024 |
Where it lives
| Range | Southern and central Spain and the Guadiana valley in southeastern Portugal |
|---|---|
| Habitat | Mediterranean scrub and woodland mixed with open pasture, where rabbits are abundant |
| Diet | European rabbit, which supplies most of its food, plus partridges, rodents and young deer |
Main threats
- Rabbit disease and loss of prey
- Road deaths
- Illegal killing and traps
- Loss and fragmentation of habitat
About
The Iberian lynx is a medium-sized cat with a spotted tawny coat, black ear tufts and a beard-like ruff on each cheek. It is slimmer and lighter than the Eurasian lynx, and it hunts by stalking and a short rush rather than long chases. It is a specialist: the wild rabbit supplies the bulk of its diet, and a single lynx needs a steady supply of them.
Where it lives and what it eats
The lynx lives in the south and centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It needs a patchwork of Mediterranean scrub for cover and dens, with open ground where rabbits graze. About three quarters of its food is rabbit, and when rabbits are scarce it eats partridges, rodents and, more rarely, young deer.
Its fortunes have followed those of the rabbit. Myxomatosis in the 1950s and rabbit haemorrhagic disease from the late 1980s cut the supply of prey sharply. Habitat clearing, illegal traps and road traffic did the rest, and by 2002 only 94 animals were known, in two small groups in Andalusia.
Threats and conservation
The IUCN moved the species from Critically Endangered to Endangered in 2015, and to Vulnerable in 2024. The 2024 assessment estimated 648 mature individuals, using data from 2022. The Iberian census counted about 2,000 lynx of all ages in 2023, and about 2,400 in the 2024 census, which included many cubs.
The recovery rests on captive breeding, which began in 2002 and produced the first captive-born cubs in 2005, and on release programmes in Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura and Portugal. Managers also restore rabbit populations, improve road crossings, work with hunting estates and farmers and monitor disease. The species is still one of the rarest cats, and road deaths remain the main cause of loss in some years. Because of its small gene pool, animals are moved between areas to keep the populations connected.
Cats and people
The Iberian lynx has become a conservation symbol in Spain and Portugal, and wildlife tourism around Doñana and the Sierra Morena draws visitors hoping to see one. Attacks on people are not known. The cat can take hens and other small livestock but does so rarely, and landowners who keep rabbits and lynx on their estates play a large part in the recovery.
Profile last reviewed November 7, 2026