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A Canada lynx with black ear tufts and thick gray fur sitting in the snow.
Photo: Michael Zahra, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Canada Lynx

Lynx canadensis

A northern forest cat with black ear tufts and big furry feet that let it walk on snow while it hunts snowshoe hares.

🐈 Wild Cats
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About the Canada Lynx

Canada lynx live in forests from Alaska across Canada and into a few northern U.S. states. A lynx stands about 20 inches tall and weighs about 20 pounds. Its large, rounded feet have furry pads that let it walk on top of the snow. In the far north it eats almost nothing but snowshoe hares, though it will hunt grouse and rodents when hares are scarce.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Lynx canadensis[1]
Size
About 20 inches (51 cm) tall at the shoulder.[1]
Weight
About 20 pounds (9 kg).[1]
Lifespan
Up to 14 years in the wild. Up to 26 years in captivity.[1]
Diet
Carnivore. Almost only snowshoe hares in the north, plus grouse and rodents when hares are scarce.[1]
Habitat
Mature forests with fallen logs for dens, and young forests for hunting.[1]
Where it lives
Alaska, Canada and parts of the northern United States, including Maine, Montana, Washington and Colorado.[1]
Group life
Solitary hunters, more active at night.[1]
Babies
Usually two or three kittens, but anywhere from one to eight.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2014). Listed as threatened in the U.S. since 2000.[1][2]

Fun facts

  • A lynx's large, furry feet let it walk on top of deep snow, like snowshoes.[1]
  • Lynx numbers go up and down with snowshoe hare numbers, one to two years behind.[1]
  • Canada lynx have long, black ear tufts and a short, black-tipped tail.[1]

Vocabulary

ear tuft
A clump of long hair that sticks up from the tip of an ear.
prey
An animal that is hunted and eaten by another animal.
cycle
Something that happens again and again in the same order.
fragmentation
When a habitat is broken into small, separated pieces.
threatened
A legal label meaning a species is likely to become endangered.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] National Wildlife Federation. “Canada Lynx.” https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Canada-Lynx (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Lynx canadensis (Canada Lynx).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/12518/101138963 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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