Yesterday we talked about a cute, fluffy cat and I plan on keeping that trend going today; however, I promised that we would get back to wild animals for today’s fact. Don’t worry though, there is a way we can talk about cute, fluffy cats and wild animals by learning about the ever impressive Iberian Lynx. In order for us to catch a glimpse of this critically endangered cat, we will need to fuel up the plane and take a short trip to the Iberian Peninsula (in Southern Europe). So who is up for checking out a new place and a new animal today? Perfect, let’s go then!
As mentioned, the Iberian Lynx is critically endangered with only about 225 individuals expected to be living in the wild. Believe it or not, they are on the verge of being one of the few cats to vanish in about 10 000 years. I have said it before and I will say it again, these are not the type of records, I would want to be known for. Luckily there is a group called SOS Lynx which is doing all they can to prevent this from happening. I recommend you check out their site and see if there is a way to get involved and help preserve this amazing feline.
So what is an Iberian Lynx? Well, they look like other lynx species with the ear tufts, short tail and furry chin, however, they tend to have markings resembling leopard spots. As well, they tend to have much shorter fur, which makes sense since they live in much warmer climates compared to other lynx species. They are also smaller than their northern relatives, the Eurasian Lynx, and has such won’t feed on animals bigger than a hare, unless they have no choice. Another interesting difference between the Iberian Lynx and other lynx species is their habitat preference. While their cousins like to hang out in forests, the Iberian Lynx prefers the nice open scrub land. I guess they just like chasing down their favourite prey, the European Rabbit, on open ground where they can’t hide behind trees.
Speaking of the European Rabbit, they are part of the reason that the Iberian Lynx is on the brink of extinction. You see, the rabbit population has been on a decline and is forcing the Lynx to go after larger game that they are not specialized to catch such as small deer, ducks and other larger animals. As a result, their hunting success rate is reduced. And the last time I checked, it is pretty tough to live if you don’t eat, right? With any luck and some human intervention, maybe the Iberian Lynx will rebound and flourish.
Thanks for reading today’s post and don’t forget to check out SOS Lynx for more information about the Iberian Lynx. See you tomorrow for the last fact of the week.
Good thing you didn’t leave it to Wild Fact #1, or they might all be gone!
hahahahaha!
This is a great point, Steve. Perhaps, I should get all of the critically endangered animals out of the way sooner rather than later.
Only 225 left! That’s so sad 🙁
@Hailey, I mean left in the wild lol.
Oh yeah this was on animal channel, in “Animal’s guide to survival”, a program about wild animals struggling to survive with the rapid changing climate. There isn’t much available ideal habitat for them to live, they showed a nature reserve I think 100 square miles large in Spain, but with a highway in the middle, the Lynxes crossed the road instead of using the tunnel beneath it, quite a lot of ’em sadly died this way. Iberian lynx cubs are being bred in captivity in Spain & Portugal, but at current population levels, I read it is mission impossible to secure their survival. Fire has reduced much of their habitat, Viral Hemorrhagic Disease & Myxomatosis decimated the bunny populations, and thus the Lynxes via starvation. Tiger’s aren’t doing so great either, they have dwindled to a few thousand in the worldwide wilderness.
On another note, our wonderful human species is nearing 7 billion people, wrecking the balance with plants and animals, making sure the only other species close to us that we know in the entire universe, are facing extinction. But ecotourism has saved the Grey Whale (seen on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beagle:_In_het_kielzog_van_Darwin) , so if we really want to we can turn things around! Also this Jane Goodall video gives me a little bit of hope: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51z7WRDjOjM
Thank you, Dutch for your great comment!
That is interesting about the road going through the nature reserve, sad but interesting. I really appreciate you sharing this information. Unfortunately, you are probably correct when you say that the populations have dwindled to such low numbers that they may not be able to be saved. Luckily I am an eternal optimist so if there is a will then there is a way.
Those are some great links about the Grey Whale and Jane Goodall’s video. This definitely gives us hope, doesn’t it?
Thanks again for such great post.
Nathan, yes there is hope. Ecotourism is an alternative to continuous rainforest deforestation and destruction. In the Seychelles it is protecting whole island ecosystems, the guards posted there remove any predator or plant that is not native and reintroduce native ones, Giant Tortoises already had many babies since the protection program began (it was awesome when a big old male was fed some kind of fruit & let his head be petted, less so when it bumped into a stranded plastic soda bottle). But the fight against habitat depletion, massive deforestation, illegal logging, oil exploitation, hunting, more agriculture to feed more mouths, invasive species, et cetera is a steeply uphill battle. Too sad to see all these species die in the meantime; Caspian tiger, (hopefully not) Iberian lynx, Dodo, … Take care out there.
I am doing a research report and I want to help them so bad. They are so adorable and i wanna help those poor little animals so I’m donating 200 dollars out of my account for them.
That is incredible to hear!
That donation is definitely a nice gesture and I am sure it will be used to fund a worthwhile project to keep the Iberian Lynx around for a long time to come.
You can tell your passionate about these animals and that is just as impressive as the donation. Keep the enthusiasm and continue spreading the word about the plight of these beautiful creatures. Raising awareness for worthwhile causes is a very important aspect of any conservation effort.
I only wish there were more people such as yourself out there.
Keep up the great work!!