---
title: "What the sources say about the Canada Lynx | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "42 claims from the Canada Lynx profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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---

# What the sources say about the Canada Lynx (*Lynx canadensis*)

> 42 claims from the Canada Lynx profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Canada Lynx](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/canada-lynx/)

## Canada lynx. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/canada-lynx

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| whose numbers rise and fall with the snowshoe hares it eats | Lynx numbers naturally rise and fall along with snowshoe hare populations. |
| A snowshoe-pawed wild cat of the northern forests | Canada lynx have large paws for their size which act like snowshoes (note: tagline; 'northern forests' from 'the cold, northern forests of North America') |
| Cold northern boreal forest of North America | This wild cat lives in the cold, northern forests of North America —a habitat known as boreal forest. (note: stats.habitat) |
| Mostly snowshoe hares, plus rodents, birds, squirrels, and other small mammals | Lynx primarily eat snowshoe hares but will also eat rodents, birds, squirrels, and other small mammals, particularly in summer. (note: stats.diet) |
| Large paws that act like snowshoes, letting it chase fast prey through deep, powdery snow | Canada lynx have large paws for their size which act like snowshoes and allow these cats to pursue fast prey in deep, powdery snow. (note: stats.superpower) |
| is a medium-sized wild cat | The Canada lynx is a medium-sized wild cat |
| of the cold northern forests of North America. That habitat is called boreal forest. | This wild cat lives in the cold, northern forests of North America —a habitat known as boreal forest. |
| It favors patches of regenerating forest within older stands of trees, patches that usually feature dense undergrowth where snowshoe hares live. | In particular, the lynx favors patches of regenerating forest within older stands of trees with a mix of tree heights. These regenerating patches usually feature dense undergrowth that serves as habitat for snowshoe hares. |
| On average, a lynx is 75 to 90 centimeters (30 to 35 inches) long and weighs around 6 to 14 kilograms (15 to 30 pounds). | On average, Canada lynx are 30 to 35 inches (75 to 90 centimeters) long and weigh around 15 to 30 pounds (6 to 14 kilograms). |
| Males are typically a bit larger than females. | Males are typically a bit larger than females. |
| In the wild it lives up to 15 years, and in human care up to 22. | Up to 15 years in the wild. In human care, this species can live for up to 22 years. |
| They are large for its size and act like snowshoes, letting it pursue fast prey in deep, powdery snow. | Canada lynx have large paws for their size which act like snowshoes and allow these cats to pursue fast prey in deep, powdery snow. |
| Long, thin tufts of fur stand on the tips of its ears, and its short tail ends in black. | Lynx have distinctive long, thin tufts of fur on the tips of their ears and short, black-tipped tails. |
| Snowshoe hares make up 60 to 97 percent of a lynx's diet. | Snowshoe hares make up 60-97% of the lynx diet |
| An individual lynx eats one hare every 1 to 2 days on average. | with an individual lynx eating one hare every 1-2 days on average. |
| Rodents, birds, squirrels and other small mammals fill in, particularly in summer. | Lynx primarily eat snowshoe hares but will also eat rodents, birds, squirrels, and other small mammals, particularly in summer. |
| Lynx populations peak and crash in roughly 10-year cycles that track the numbers of snowshoe hares, especially in the northern parts of the lynx's range. | Lynx populations naturally peak and crash in roughly 10-year cycles that track the numbers of their primary prey, the snowshoe hare, especially in the northern parts of the lynx’s range. |
| litter size often depends on hare abundance. | Litter size often depends on hare abundance. |
| Females give birth to litters of one to four kittens, usually in May or June | females give birth to litters of one to four kittens, usually in May or June. |
| Lynx are mostly solitary. | Social Structure Mostly solitary. (note: Smithsonian 'Social Structure' field; ADW also says 'Lynx are solitary and seem to be territorial.') |
| They communicate mainly by scent marking, but they also use barks, growls, yowls and cries. | Lynx mostly communicate with one another through scent marking, but they also will communicate using sound with a range of barks, growls, yowls, and cries. |
| its populations peak and crash in roughly 10-year cycles that track the numbers of snowshoe hares | Lynx populations naturally peak and crash in roughly 10-year cycles that track the numbers of their primary prey, the snowshoe hare |

## Lynx canadensis (Canada lynx). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lynx_canadensis/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A lynx normally stalks to within a few short bounds of its prey and then pounces. Some will wait in ambush for hours. | Prey are normally stalked to within a few short bounds and then pounced upon, although some lynx will wait in ambush for hours. |
| Females and young sometimes hunt hares cooperatively, spreading out in a line and moving through relatively open areas. Prey scared up by one cat is often caught by others in the line. | Females and young sometimes hunt for hares cooperatively by spreading out in a line and moving through relativley open areas. Prey scared up by one animal is often caught by others in the line. (note: source spells 'relativley'; 'relatively open areas' on the page) |
| When hares thin out, lynx numbers fall too. | when there are fewer hares to eat, the number of lynx decreases. |
| Home ranges vary in size from 11 to 300 square kilometers. | Ranges vary in size from 11 to 300 square kilometers. |
| A lynx stalks to within a few short bounds of its prey and then pounces | stalked to within a few short bounds and then pounced upon |

## Krebs, Boonstra & Boutin (2017). Using experimentation to understand the 10‐year snowshoe hare cycle in the boreal forest of North America. Journal of Animal Ecology.

https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.12720

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A cycle fur traders noticed | is a classic cycle, recognized by fur traders for more than 300 years (note: blockquote lead-in) |
| The 10-year snowshoe hare cycle is a classic, recognized by fur traders for more than 300 years. | The 10-year cycle of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus Erxleben) across the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska is a classic cycle, recognized by fur traders for more than 300 years. |
| Experiments adding food and restricting predator access to field populations were decisive in pinpointing predation as the key mechanism causing these fluctuations. | Experiments adding food and restricting predator access to field populations have been decisive in pinpointing predation as the key mechanism causing these fluctuations. |
| Lynx are among the killers. | predation by a variety of predators, including the Canada lynx (note: FAQ 2) |
| Predation is the immediate cause of death for most snowshoe hares, by a variety of predators. | The immediate cause of death of most snowshoe hares is predation by a variety of predators, including the Canada lynx |
| Hare births collapse too, and that is not due to food shortage, as was once thought, but to chronic stress from predator chases. | The collapse in the reproductive rate is not due to food shortage as was originally thought, but is a result of chronic stress from predator chases. |

## Murray & Boutin (1991). The influence of snow on lynx and coyote movements: does morphology affect behavior? Oecologia.

https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00317707

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| One study compared lynx with coyotes living in the same area. | We studied sympatric lynx (Lynx canadensis) and coyotes (Canis latrans) (note: FAQ 1; sympatric = living in the same area) |
| The two are of similar size and mass, but lynx feet are much larger. | Both species are of similar size and mass, but the feet of lynx are much larger |
| The coyotes carried 4.1 to 8.8 times the foot-load of the lynx (body mass divided by foot area), and on average their legs sank deeper. | coyotes were found to have 4.1-8.8 times the foot-load (ratio of body mass to foot area) of lynx. This resulted in greater mean sinking depths of coyote limbs |
| The lynx also used areas where the snow was deeper. | while lynx used areas where snow was deeper |

## Schwartz et al. (2002). DNA reveals high dispersal synchronizing the population dynamics of Canada lynx. Nature.

https://doi.org/10.1038/415520a

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Yes, over huge distances. | Here we show high gene flow despite separation by distances greater than 3,100 km (note: FAQ 3 lead) |
| A study of lynx from 17 collection sites found high gene flow even between sites more than 3,100 km apart. | lynx samples from 17 collection sites in the core and periphery of the lynx's geographic range. Here we show high gene flow despite separation by distances greater than 3,100 km |
| Its authors suggested that managers in the contiguous United States should focus on keeping connections open to the core of the lynx's range. | We therefore suggest that management actions in the contiguous United States should focus on maintaining connectivity with the core of the lynx's geographic range. |

## Murray & Thornton (2025). Lynx canadensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T12518A275326314.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2025-2.rlts.t12518a275326314.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The IUCN rates the species Least Concern. | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: GBIF's copy of the Red List, checked against taxon id 12518 inside the DOI) |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: stats.conservationStatus) |