The average litter size is 3, with rarely more than 2 young surviving weaning. Kittens leave the den between 8 and 23 months. Very high rates of mortality during dispersal have been detected. Diet The Iberian lynx mostly depends on wild rabbits to feed, but it will also eat ducks, young deer and partridges if rabbit densities are low. While an adult lynx needs about one rabbit a day, a mother raising her young needs to catch about 3. It declined steadily during the 20 th century, and at the beginning of the s only two isolated breeding populations remained in the world, located in southern Spain, and totaling about adult animals, with only 25 breeding females.
But after joint efforts of the Spanish national and regional administrations, different NGOs like WWF and the European Union via the Life projects , the species has recovered from the brink of extinction. The reintroduced lynxes come from the Iberian Lynx Ex-situ Conservation Programme, which is still running and contributing to the future of this endangered species: 53 cubs were born in And the latest census shows adult lynxes.
Despite these signs of hope, crucial challenges remain unsolved, and the species future is still fragile. What are the main threats? The Iberian lynx has been brought to the brink of extinction because of a combination of threats: Decreasing food base Rabbits form the main prey of the Iberian lynx. Epidemics, such as myxamatosis and the haemorrhagic disease, have affected rabbit populations over the years, which has in turn affected the Iberian lynx population.
WWF is calling the spanish authorities to escalate efforts to recover rabbit populations. Car hits The construction of high speed roads and highways, splitting up the Lynx habitat, is another of the main threats for this wild cat. A very high number, given the small population of the species.
After a WWF campaign, the spanish national and regional authorities are starting to take preventive measures on the roads. Habitat loss and degradation Infrastructures like roads, dams, railways and other human activities contribute to the loss and fragmentation of the Iberian lynx distribution area, creating barriers between the different populations. How many Iberian Lynx are left now? I am a teacher of Global Citizenship in Green Brook, New Jersey, and my 8th graders finish their program with a large research project and presentation.
Each student in the program chooses their own topic and does their own research. One of my students was inspired by your work and chose to study the Iberian Lynx. She would be delighted to hear from you. Is there an easy way for her to send the presentation to you via a. Thank you! We would love to have a look at her presentation. Can you email us at smallwildcats gmail.
Unless you live in Spain, there is actually nothing you can do to help Iberian Lynx. The in-situ breeding program has many sponsors, and the challenge now is to save their habitat, ensure they have enough prey, and prevent road kills. I need to know the Iberian Lynx adaptations, for a project. In I was in Patagonia, and While on a tour, observed a cashed up woman wearing an unusual fur coat. A Spanish woman told me this could not be possible because they are on the endangered list, but a good fur coat can last for a long time.
Could I have been correct in my identification? It was more likely the pelt of a Eurasian lynx. There has never been enough Iberian lynx to supply any kind of fur trade, legal or illegal. The Eurasian species is still legally taken for the fur trade in many countries. Their pelage does vary in colour and some of them do resemble Iberian lynx. Watched Portuguese documentary on the dwindling rabbit supply in the Wild and the Answer is. Australian rabbits are original Spanish stock taken to England by the Romans they thrive in our Dry climate and have survived all attempts at eradication where the Portuguese Rabbit has not.
This includes Calcivirus and Myxomatosis most are now immune to both with the population springing back rapidly. The solution import Australian rabbits immune to both diseases and native to the environment. Lynx den in rock piles, heavy brush or areas with fallen trees — anything that provides a large enough space to keep the kittens hidden. The first one, is when were the lynx first put on the critically endangered list? And second, why were the lynx being hunted in the first place?
Is it because of their fur? Or because they are competing with hunters for European Rabbits? Thanks for the other information in this article though!
It really helped me get facts for my essay! Iberian Lynx were classed as Critically Endangered in , and upgraded to Endangered in The lynx were being hunted for two reasons. Farmers killed them as a form of predator control, shooting the cats on site as they assumed lynx would eat their domestic livestock. The real cause of the cats rapid decline was not hunting, but a disease that wiped out almost the entire rabbit population.
Iberian lynx are specialist feeders and do not switch to other prey if rabbits are scarce. Due to wide ranging, long-running educational programs people are no longer hunting the lynx, although they are occasionally caught in traps set for other animals. The main threats to the Iberian Lynx now are death by automobile and loss of habitat. In , there were an estimated 1, Iberian Lynx in Spain. Human development such as dams, highways and railways also encroached on its native habitat.
They were also being hunted by people. While losing its habitat, humans were also over-hunting the cats main prey species, the European rabbit. Iberian Lynx would have disappeared completely if not for the captive breeding program, which is now reintroducing them to protected habitats in Spain and Portugal.
This helps a bunch! There are other differences, too. The rabbit is crucial for the local ecosystem.
Besides boosting rabbit numbers, the conservation of the Mediterranean scrubland has been, and will continue to be, a pivotal part of preserving the lynx. We looked to sensitize the public to the importance of preserving the species and, after a rather slow start, people have proved tremendously supportive. Road kills are now responsible for more than half of lynx fatalities. Measures such as wildlife underpasses are being developed, but the problem will likely continue. But more than an isolated case, Serra says, the beloved Iberian icon became a symbol of nature conservation across the peninsula and beyond.
Though the Iberian lynx seemed destined for extinction, a conservation effort in Spain and Portugal has helped the population stabilize.
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