Canada Lynx
DB: This is Earth and Sky – on the Canada lynx. These wildcats were listed as a threatened species in the lower 48 states under the Endangered Species Act in March of 2000.
JB: The loss of habitat for the lynx has been a major factor in their decline. Now no one knows for sure how many lynx are left. That’s partly because lynx are elusive – they often inhabit high mountainous terrain.
DB: To locate lynx, wildlife biologists invented the “lynx detection station.” Each station has two elements. One is an aluminum pie pan, twisted in a spiral and suspended from a tree. Lynx – like all cats – are curious. When they see this shiny object, they come over to investigate.
JB: The second part of a detection station is a piece of carpet padding nailed to a tree. The pad has small tacks sticking out of it, and it’s doused in beaver castor and catnip. Lynx find the smell alluring! When they rub their chins on the carpet pad, a few hairs are left behind.
DB: These detection stations are in place in forests and parks across the northern United States. Every two weeks, a biologist comes back, collects the hairs, and takes them to the lab for DNA analysis. In this way, scientists can tell lynx apart from other animals and even distinguish between individual lynx.
JB: For more, come to earthsky.com. Special thanks today to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and to the U.S. Forest Service. We’re Block and Byrd for Earth and Sky.
Our thanks to:
James Claar
Wildlife biologist
Carnivore Program Leader
U.S.D.A. Forest Service
Missoula, MT
Resources:
Mowat, Garth, and Brian G. Slough. “Some observations on the natural history and behaviour of the Canada Lynx, Lynx canadensis.” Canadian Field Naturalist 112: 32-36; 1998.
Ecology and Conservation of Lynx in the United States. University Press of Colorado, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 2000. 480 pp.
Canada Lynx News and Information (US Fish and Wildlife Service. Has much lynx information and also a link to the Forest Service web site that has additional information.)
Canada Lynx Listed as Threatened (March 2000 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service press release)
Protection Increased for Canada Lynx (March 2000 USDA Forest Service press release)
Commonly asked questions about the Canada Lynx (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
US Forest Service species conservation plan for the Canada Lynx
Author’s notes:
The Canada Lynx is a shy and elusive mountain cat with extra-large paws that work like snowshoes for chasing their favorite prey, snowshoe hares. Showshoe hares comprise anywhere from 35 to 97 percent of a lynx’s diet. They had a broad historical distribution range that extended southward from the boreal forests of Alaska and Northern Canada into adjoining subalpine forests in the western US and boreal/hardwood forests of the eastern U.S. Researchers believe that historic and current lynx densities in the contiguous United States are naturally low relative to lynx densities in the northern boreal forest.
Lynx generally live in “mesic” conifer forests that have cold, snowy winters and provide plentiful snowshoe hares. They generally weigh between 18 to 23 pounds (8 to 10.5 kg) and are between 2.5 to 3 feet (75-90 cm) in length. Perhaps the most distinguishing features of a lynx are their large feet adapted for walking on snow and long tufts of hair growing from the tips of their ears.
In 1999 a national survey project was begun to detect lynx where they might occur in the states of WA, OR, ID, MT, UT, CO, WY, MN, WI, MI, VT, and NH. This massive effort is being coordinated by the Forest Service’s Northern Region and Rocky Mountain Research Station offices in Missoula, MT, with the support of hundreds of biologists in the field from the US Forest Service, US Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, tribal agencies, and state wildlife agencies within US Forest Service regions 1, 2, 4, 6, and 9. Detection stations are placed in 42 national forests and 3 national parks.
At “detection stations,” an aluminum pie plate is suspended from a tree branch to serve as a visual attractant. The detection stations are placed every one hundred meters along parallel lines that cross what seems to be prime lynx habitat. Lynx and many other carnivores such as bear come close to investigate. They find a 4 × 4 inch square carpet pad laced with carpet tacks, beaver castor, and dried catnip. This combo entices them to rub and leave hair. According to Jim Claar, “… the beaver castor lure is a scent attractant … the catnip induces rubbing (similar to domestic cats) on the carpet pad with the little nails that snag a hair sample.” Biologists collect the hair and send it to a carnivore genetics lab at the University of Montana and USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station in Missoula for identification using state-of-the-art DNA analysis techniques.
A total of 50 surveys were completed during the fall and winter seasons of 1999/2000 within the states mentioned above. The surveys are being repeated in 2000/2001 within the same areas, and a third and final round of surveys are planned for the 2001/2002 fall and winter periods. An additional 10 new surveys were begun in 2000/2001 and will be repeated in 2001/2002, bringing the total number of surveys in this project to 60. Each survey consists of 125 detection stations spread over an area approximately 100 square miles in size. To date, this technique has detected lynx in the states of WA, MT, WY, and ID with still a lot of samples from biologists in the field yet to be analyzed.
According to Jim Claar, habitat fragmentation is one of the biggest threats to lynx. It’s not just lynx habitat that’s important, it’s the habitat for snowshoe hares that is important. Lynx are found mostly in dark, cold forests with deep, fluffy snow – with their large feet, they can go and catch snowshoe hares in the winter, when they have an advantage over the hare’s other predators such as owls, hawks, and bobcats.
Additional Teacher Resources
Big Cat Rescue: Canada Lynx
An extensive scientific fact sheet covering the species, size and appearance, distribution, reproduction and offspring, social system, communication, hunting, diet, and principal threats.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Commonly Asked Questions About the Canada Lynx
An extremely informative publication covering a myriad of subjects concerning the Canadian lynx. This resource would be effective for teachers providing information to all ages
NASA Earth Observatory, Media Alerts: Climate May Play Role in Lynx’s Hunting Ability
Snow quality may affect the Canadian lynx’s ability to kill its prey, according to new research suggesting climate may be impacting one of the most fascinating ecological systems to intrigue biologists for decades. This article explains the implications as well as a brief natural history of the Canadian lynx.
CNN, Nature: Lynx report supports endangered species listing
Today, small populations of Lynx are believed to remain in only three of the 16 states they historically inhabited. It has been 68 years since the Canada lynx was last officially spotted in Utah. This article discusses the history of the decline in lynx populations as well as efforts being made towards restoration.
