Liberian Lynx 09/11/2007
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> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6987435.stm NEWSPEG
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMa9IZap4Fw
> Of all the Big Cats, the Iberian lynx is closest to extinction.
> The Iberian lynx is considered by IUCN to be critically endangered and is the world's most endangered cat species.
> The name Lynx comes from the Greek word "to shine," and may be in reference to the reflective ability of the cats eyes.
> Once common throughout the Iberian Peninsula and into the south of France, there are now estimated to be about 100 remaining as two isolated breeding populations in Spain. Between 1960 and 1990 the Iberian lynx suffered an 80 per cent reduction in its range.
> Whoever and whatever is to blame, the lynxs imminent disappearance will be the first extinction of a world feline, discounting sub-species of tigers and lions, since the sabre-toothed tiger some 10,000 years ago and will forever leave a dark mark on Spanish conservationism.
> Europe is home to two species of lynx, the Iberian and the Eurasian. Iberian lynxes are about half the size of their Eurasian counterparts, dark yellow or brown in colour, heavily spotted, with long legs, very short tails and distinctive black ear tufts.
> They are highly efficient hunters, with keen eyesight and a powerful sense of smell that enables them to detect their prey at distances of up to 300m.
> The biggest threat to the Iberian lynx was and still is posed by man. Ironically, it has been regarded both as an attractive hunting trophy and as vermin. Hunters prized its valuable fur and its meat, and although some landowners appreciate its tendency to keep fox and rabbit numbers down, most perceive it as a threat to their game populations. The Iberian lynx was legally protected against hunting from the early 1970s, but they are still the victims of guns, traps and snares, particularly those set for other animals.
> The debate continues whether or not the Iberian Lynx is in fact a separate species from the Canadian and Siberian Lynxes, or merely a subspecies. Experts are evenly divided on this subject, but for now, it remains a separate species based on its marked adaptive differences for prey capture.
> They are often confused with their smaller feline cousins the Bobcat, but can be easily distinguished by their tail tips. The tail of the Lynx looks as though it was dipped in an inkwell being black all the way around, whereas the Bobcats tail appears to have been painted black on top and white on the bottom.
> In the wild, Iberian Lynx have lived up to 13 years.
>Lynx pardinus is one of Europe's largest cats. The male weighs up to five times more than the domestic cat although its size can vary considerably.
> The Iberian Lynx marks its territory with its urine, droppings and scratch marks on the barks of trees.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMa9IZap4Fw
> Of all the Big Cats, the Iberian lynx is closest to extinction.
> The Iberian lynx is considered by IUCN to be critically endangered and is the world's most endangered cat species.
> The name Lynx comes from the Greek word "to shine," and may be in reference to the reflective ability of the cats eyes.
> Once common throughout the Iberian Peninsula and into the south of France, there are now estimated to be about 100 remaining as two isolated breeding populations in Spain. Between 1960 and 1990 the Iberian lynx suffered an 80 per cent reduction in its range.
> Whoever and whatever is to blame, the lynxs imminent disappearance will be the first extinction of a world feline, discounting sub-species of tigers and lions, since the sabre-toothed tiger some 10,000 years ago and will forever leave a dark mark on Spanish conservationism.
> Europe is home to two species of lynx, the Iberian and the Eurasian. Iberian lynxes are about half the size of their Eurasian counterparts, dark yellow or brown in colour, heavily spotted, with long legs, very short tails and distinctive black ear tufts.
> They are highly efficient hunters, with keen eyesight and a powerful sense of smell that enables them to detect their prey at distances of up to 300m.
> The biggest threat to the Iberian lynx was and still is posed by man. Ironically, it has been regarded both as an attractive hunting trophy and as vermin. Hunters prized its valuable fur and its meat, and although some landowners appreciate its tendency to keep fox and rabbit numbers down, most perceive it as a threat to their game populations. The Iberian lynx was legally protected against hunting from the early 1970s, but they are still the victims of guns, traps and snares, particularly those set for other animals.
> The debate continues whether or not the Iberian Lynx is in fact a separate species from the Canadian and Siberian Lynxes, or merely a subspecies. Experts are evenly divided on this subject, but for now, it remains a separate species based on its marked adaptive differences for prey capture.
> They are often confused with their smaller feline cousins the Bobcat, but can be easily distinguished by their tail tips. The tail of the Lynx looks as though it was dipped in an inkwell being black all the way around, whereas the Bobcats tail appears to have been painted black on top and white on the bottom.
> In the wild, Iberian Lynx have lived up to 13 years.
>Lynx pardinus is one of Europe's largest cats. The male weighs up to five times more than the domestic cat although its size can vary considerably.
> The Iberian Lynx marks its territory with its urine, droppings and scratch marks on the barks of trees.
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