Red lynx (lat. Lynx rufus), sometimes called red because of the rich color of its soft coat, is native to central and southern North America. Locals call her "bobcat". It is half the size of an ordinary lynx: up to 60 cm high and weighing 6-14 kg.
Her legs are shorter and thinner, since the red-haired beauty does not need to walk in deep snow, unlike her northern relative. You can also recognize a bobcat by the white markings on the inside of the black tip of the tail, smaller ear tufts, and lighter coloration. The fluffy fur may be reddish brown or gray. In Florida, there are even completely black individuals, the so-called “melanists”. The wild cat's face and paws are decorated with black markings.
You can meet the red lynx in dense subtropical forests or in desert areas among prickly cacti, on high mountain slopes or in swampy lowlands. The presence of humans does not prevent it from appearing on the outskirts of villages or small towns. This predator chooses areas where it can feast on small rodents, nimble squirrels or timid rabbits and even prickly ones.
A hungry lynx can attack a white-tailed deer or domestic sheep. She likes to hunt at dusk, when her color serves as a good camouflage. A deft leap, a quick fatal bite to the base of the skull and you can start eating. Having eaten, the cat hides the remains of the feast and lies down to rest nearby.
In the wild, males and females like to be alone, meeting only during the breeding season. More often this happens in the spring, so that by the cold season the little lynx cubs have time to grow up and begin to feed on their own. The “lady” is usually followed by several “gentlemen” who periodically fight with each other. Pregnancy lasts from 50 to 70 days and ends with the birth of 2 or 4 (less often 6) cubs.
The mother hides them from voracious owls or foxes in tree crevices, small caves and other hard-to-reach places. Sometimes the father also takes care of the lynx cubs. After three months, the grown-up babies follow their parents everywhere, and at 9 they begin to look for their own territory for hunting, and at first they stick together.
When meeting, familiar individuals perform a curious greeting ritual: as soon as their wet noses touch, they stand opposite each other and begin to butt heads no worse than real rams. At the same time, a characteristic bone sound is even heard. A special friendly disposition is expressed in carefully licking a friend's fur.
The red lynx's attitude towards humans is quite strange. On the one hand, she avoids him in every possible way, so it is almost impossible to accidentally stumble upon an animal in the wilderness. On the other hand, an impudent cat can easily show up on a farm and slightly reduce the number of livestock. The predator also breaks into sheepfolds, hunting dogs and small domestic animals.
The bobcat is a beautiful animal that lives naturally on the east and west coasts of the United States, southern Canada and central Mexico. People often hunt for it, because the population is high and there is no ban on shooting.
Appearance
This animal is also called the red lynx. It reaches 50-80 centimeters in length. In height - 30-35 centimeters. The red lynx can weigh from 6 to 11 kilograms.
Although the color of its coat is reddish-brown with a gray tint, there are also completely white or black individuals. It is very similar but not as large. Her paws are shorter and narrower. In winter, they are covered with long and thick hair, which gives the animal the opportunity to move through deep snow.
The bobcat has a white marking on the inside of its short and curved tail. The tail has a length of 20-35 centimeters. Her head is round and her muzzle is short. There are tassels at the ends of the ears. Thick fur grows along the edges of the muzzle, forming whiskers. The red lynx, described in this article, sheds in spring and autumn. Her fur is soft and silky.
What does he eat?
To get food for itself, this wild animal goes hunting. The red lynx always attacks from behind. At first, she sneaks behind her victim for a long time and when she crawls within one jump, she pounces on her and kills her. To do this, she bites through the carotid artery or simply breaks her neck.
The majority of the red lynx's diet consists of hares. 1/3 of its diet consists of gophers, porcupines, mice, squirrels, voles and other small rodents. Sometimes it attacks deer, goats and even domestic dogs and cats. Of course, farmers don't like lynx attacks on livestock, so they hunt it. Thus, they become owners of valuable fur.
In times of hunger, the red lynx can eat insects, bats, snakes, and plant fruits. Sometimes she has to eat carrion or steal prey from hunting traps. The more food there is, the higher the number of red lynx. Its peacefulness also depends on this factor. If there is little food, then fights often occur between individuals. For an adult male, a sufficient portion is 2.5-3 kilograms. Sometimes he eats 5-6 kilograms. Moreover, predators of similar parameters eat much more.
One adult hare is enough for 2-4 days. A red lynx will handle a roe deer alone in 3-4 days. But you will have to work on the carcass of a sika deer for 1.5 weeks. The red lynx does not begin hunting until it has eaten its previous prey. She sometimes hides the remains in the ground. Often she has to drive away foxes and wolverines from her territory, who strive to feast on the meat she has obtained.
Lifestyle
This animal is often called the lynx of North America, although it lives not only there. In general, this lynx can live in the desert, in swamps, in rocks, and on plains. Even heavy snow doesn’t bother her. The main habitat is spruce-fir forests. Taiga, forest-steppe and forest-tundra are also suitable for red lynx.
It is almost impossible to meet it during the day, because it goes hunting early in the morning or late in the evening, at dusk. Although in winter she can hunt during the day. But the lynx not only hunts, but also rests. To do this, she chooses familiar places and often walks along the same well-trodden paths. Often the lynx, described in this article, climbs trees. There she can hide from persecution. The red lynx runs away from danger in large leaps or climbs higher. In order for the hunt to be successful, this animal has everything it needs.
It's a cat
Its muscular body and strong legs allow it to jump over high obstacles and jump forward over considerable distances. Excellent eyesight and excellent hearing allow them to track prey. Although the red lynx's sense of smell is weak. Sharp claws pierce the victim and prevent it from leaving. They also help climb trees. During the hunt, the lynx hides its tracks. She walks, stepping with her paws so as to leave as few prints as possible.
The red lynx, described in this article, can make shelters in hollows, among rocks and bushes. Its behavior resembles that of a domestic cat. If an animal is angry, its ears are flattened and its tail moves from side to side. Interestingly, a lynx kitten can be tamed. If you take him into the house as a toddler, he will get used to people and become completely at home.
Personal space
The red lynx is a solitary animal. Males and females share a territory in which they live alone. But females with cubs can live in the male’s territory. Animals mark their areas with urine and excrement, and also leave claw marks on trees. A male can have a territory of 100 square kilometers. Females own a smaller territory - 50 square kilometers. If the female is ready to breed, the smell of her urine changes, so the male will know about it.
Reproduction
This usually happens with the onset of spring. If all the females living in the male’s territory are ready to mate, then he will mate with everyone. During pregnancy, which lasts about 53 days, the female prepares a shelter for herself and future lynx cubs. She covers her lair with moss and leaves. A lynx kitten is blind and helpless immediately after birth. Babies' eyes open at 7-9 days.
Lynx cubs feed on mother's milk for 2-2.5 months. In total, up to 6 babies are born in a litter. The lynx kitten needs care. The mother patiently takes care of him, licks him, warms him, and protects him from danger. If the den where the mother and her cubs live is discovered by enemies, she will take the babies to a safe place.
Caring dad
Until the kittens open their eyes, the father has no right to approach the shelter. But as soon as they begin to feed on their own, he takes care of feeding the mother and children. The male feeds all the females and cubs that are in his territory. Moreover, he not only obtains food for the kids, but also participates in their “upbringing.” The bobcat family sticks together. Over time, after about six months, the mother teaches her kittens to hunt. She does this by example. Adults are considered to be individuals that have reached one and a half years of age.
In nature, the red lynx has enemies. These are large predators. But man also destroys these beautiful animals for the sake of beautiful fur. Maybe we shouldn’t do this, because otherwise populations will decline and the red lynx will disappear from our planet.
The bobcat is a medium-sized species of wild cat that is found in a variety of habitats throughout the southern half of North America. They are widespread and highly adaptable predators that are closely related to the larger species of northern Canada lynx, with the difference that the red lynx has only a small "bobbed" tail, while the lynx has a longer and bushier tail. Measuring twice the size of a house cat, the red lynx has the widest range of any North American feline, but their secretive nature means they are rarely seen by humans. There are currently twelve recognized subspecies of the red lynx, which vary in their coloration and geographic range: individuals found in mountain forest are darker than their lighter cousins, which are found in drier, semi-desert regions.
Anatomy and appearance
Due to the fact that the red lynx belongs to the same family as the lynx, they are similar in appearance, but not in everything. The red lynx is smaller and has smaller legs and ear tufts than the Canada lynx, and is often darker in color. The red lynx has beige, brown or reddish fur, variegated or spotted with the intensity of these markings depending on the individual and where it lives (those that live in more open, arid areas tend to be less brightly colored than those in which live in shady and damp places). The red lynx's underside is white, so the dark spots on it are more distinctive, and they also have a white tip on their short, black tails, which only grow about 15cm in length. As bobcats grow larger, they develop tufts of fur on their ears that serve to improve their hearing, along with a lush lining of fur around their faces.
Distribution and habitat
The bobcat is one of the most widely distributed of all North American felines and is found in North America from southern Canada all the way to southern Mexico. They are incredibly versatile animals that have adapted to live in a variety of habitats throughout three different countries. Although red lynxes are known to prefer rocky slopes that are well covered with vegetation, they are found in a variety of numerous habitats throughout their natural range, including montane forests, coniferous forest, swamp, deserts, and even suburban areas in some places. The exact appearance of the red lynx depends on what type of habitat, depending on the different colors, allows the individual to remain camouflaged in the surrounding area. The red lynx's historical range extends throughout North America, but hunting for their fur and loss of their natural habitat have led to their extinction in some areas.
Behavior and lifestyle 
The red lynx is a solitary and nocturnal animal that is most active in the darkness of the night, seeking to hunt most during dawn and dusk. During the day, red lynxes sleep and rest in dens in the form of rock crevices or tree hollows. One individual usually has several dens within its territory. Bobcats are highly territorial and mark their ranges with scent from their urine and feces, as well as distinctive claw marks on trees to alert others to their presence. Males patrol a large range of their territory, which is often overlapped by a number of smaller territories of females, but the two sexes will not interact until the breeding season, which begins in winter. At other times of the year, Red Rim tend to avoid each other to reduce the risk of them being injured in battle.
Life cycles and reproduction
Red lynxes are only found together during the breeding season, when both males and females may mate with multiple partners. After a gestation period that lasts for 8 to 10 weeks, the female red lynx gives birth to a litter of up to 6 kittens in a safe and secluded den. Red lynx kittens are born blind and open their eyes after about 10 days, feeding on their mother's milk until they are old enough to begin consuming meat. Most births occur in late winter or early spring. Kittens typically do not stay with their mother until the following winter and leave her when they are about eight months old and have learned how to hunt on their own. Female red lynx typically have one litter each year, and once mating the male has no role in raising the young.
Diet
The bobcat is a carnivorous feline, which means it hunts and eats other animals to obtain the nutrients it needs to survive. The red lynx primarily hunts small mammals such as rabbits, hares and mice, along with birds and the occasional lizard. During the harsh winter months, they also hunt large animals, including deer, and also feed on carrion. The red lynx is an incredibly elusive predator that silently stalks its prey in the dark before pouncing on it with incredible force. Despite their size, red lynxes are known to be capable of killing animals that are significantly larger than themselves. In populated areas bordering their natural habitat, red lynxes also sometimes attack livestock such as birds and sheep.
Predators and threats
The red lynx is a fierce and dominant predator in its natural habitat. Therefore, adult red lynxes are threatened by few animals, these include cougars and wolves. Small kittens and vulnerable bobcats, however, can become prey for coyotes and owls, which are able to hunt the kittens while the mother is away hunting. The biggest threat to red lynx populations throughout North America is humans, who previously hunted red lynxes for their soft fur and nearly exterminated the animals in some areas. In areas where red lynxes are now forced to share their natural ranges with growing numbers of people, they have also been hunted by farmers fearing for their livestock. Despite being highly adaptable animals, red lynxes are also threatened by habitat loss, with populations being pushed into smaller and more isolated regions of their once vast natural range.
How to find out
Common lynxes and bobcats are not much different from each other, being a species of small cats that live in North America. On average they reach one meter in length (3 feet). Both have short tails, squat bodies, and are well adapted to survive in harsh environments.
The bobcat is easily identified by its short tail and spotted coat. In winter you can often see her hunting during the daytime.
At first glance, it is difficult to distinguish a common lynx from a red lynx. But if you look more closely, you will notice that the red lynx has a more spotted skin. This gives her the opportunity to remain unnoticed in the dense vegetation of the rocky terrain where she prefers to settle.
The lynx differs from other cats in that it has a very short tail, but otherwise it is a typical cat with huge paws and very sharp claws. In addition, she has extremely developed hearing, and the tips of her pointed ears are crowned with beautiful tufts of long hair.
The lynx's skin, covered with thick, short gray-brown fur, helps it camouflage well against the background of mosses and lichens. In different places where lynxes live, the color of their fur is also different. It varies in a wide range - from smooth without spots to densely spotted.
Where does it live?
Lynxes are typically found in North America and the forests of northern Europe, where winters can be harsh. Lynx can live in temperatures as low as 57° Celsius (70° Fahrenheit). She easily moves through deep snow. Even her relatively short tail, as if cut off at the end, helps her adapt to the cold.
The red lynx lives in mountains and subtropical swamp forests, on bare mountain slopes, among cacti on desert plains, and at the same time in the cultural landscape and even in the vicinity of large cities.
As for the red lynx, it lives further south. In addition to North America, lynxes also live in sparsely populated areas of Europe, from Spain to Scandinavia, as well as into Eastern Siberia.
Lifestyle
The lynx can silently move through the forest, chasing its favorite prey - the hare. The lynx is able to detect small animals even under a layer of snow or hear and see them in complete darkness. The bobcat's prey is the American wild rabbit. When hunting for him, she relies more on sight than hearing.
It feeds primarily on voles, squirrels, and other rodents, but occasionally attacks wild turkeys, domestic chickens, and even white-tailed deer and sheep.
The red lynx is able to detect small mammals even under the snow, where they are hidden in burrows. The lynx unmistakably finds its victims by barely audible sounds coming from under the snow. The numbers of red lynx and hares always depend on each other. When there are a lot of hares, the lynx reproduces well. As the number of hares decreases, the number of lynxes also decreases.
The fertility and reproduction of lynxes are determined and directly depend on the abundance of food. When there are a lot of rabbits, the lynx does not have to go far in search of prey. However, when there are not enough rabbits, the lynx can sometimes get into fights with other lynxes over food.
The breeding season is not confined to a strictly defined season, but mating usually occurs in the spring. Some females can produce 2 litters per year. The gestation period for the red lynx is only 50 days. There are usually 2, but sometimes 4 kittens in a litter.
Females are content with smaller territories than males. A male can occupy a territory that is three times larger than the habitat of two or even three females. Rival males rarely encounter each other. Their domains are marked with strong-smelling excrement and other secretions.
Their favorite hunting trails are also littered with urine marks. These marks serve as signals to other bobcats to stay away.
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