Canada Lynx - Canadian Lynx (Lynx canadensis)
Lynx canadensis Southern Yukon, Canada
By Keith Williams (on Flickr), [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The beautiful thickly furred Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis) is one of the few cat species that still have healthy populations in its remote range in Canada. Nevertheless due to trapping for their luxurious fur, populations have declined in southern areas where they were less abundant and local protection measures have become necessary.

Canada Lynxes, sometimes called Canadian Lynxes, are endemic to North America and their numbers are intricately tied to population cycles of their primary prey - the snowshoe hare.

Lynx Lineage

1. Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx)

2. Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis)

3. Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus)

4. Bobcat (Lynx rufus)

Unique Facts

~ Numbers linked to snowshoe hares ~

~ Legal trapping programs CA ~

~ Endemic to North America ~

Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis) Classification

The Canada Lynx belongs to the genus Lynx and the full taxonomy or scientific classification of the Canada Lynx species is:

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Phylum: Chordata (vertebrates)

Class: Mammalia (mammals)

Order: Carnivora (carnivores)

Suborder: Feliformia (cat-like)

Family: Felidae (cats)

Subfamily: Felinae (small cats)

Genus: Lynx

Species: Lynx canadensis (Canada Lynx)

Subspecies: none

The scientific name for the Canada Lynx is Lynx canadensis; which is also known as the binomial name, species name, Latin name, biological name or zoological name.

Canada Lynx Sticker
Canada Lynx
Bobcat Sticker
Bobcat
Eurasian Lynx Sticker
Eurasian Lynx
Iberian Lynx Sticker
Iberian Lynx
Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis) Classification Chart
Click chart to download.
Permission to use for personal or educational use.
Credit: www.wildcatfamily.com.

Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis) Subspecies

The Canada Lynx is a monotypic species and as per the last Felidae taxonomy revision in 2017 there are no recognized subspecies.

Canada Lynx Conservation

The global conservation status of the Canada Lynx, also known as Canadian Lynx, is Least Concern (LC), but the cat is listed as "Endangered" and "Threatened" under local legislation in some parts of its southern range.

The following organizations are involved in protecting the Canada Lynx by ensuring harvesting is sustainable in Canada, and to mitigate further declines due to excessive trapping, habitat destruction and fragmentation in its southern range.

International Society for Endangered Cats - Canadian Cats

National Wildlife Federation - Canada Lynx

Please support these organizations with their important work if you can. No matter the size of your contribution, every bit helps!

The Lynx Project, Alaska

Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis) Research

Here is a list of papers published on Canada Lynxes. Click on the title bar to view the abstract and the link to the article.

View more articles on Lynx canadensis in the IUCN Cat Specialist Group database (scroll down once the library page is loaded to see the list).

Consider joining the Friends of the Cat Specialist Group to access the full articles and receive their journal Cat News covering the latest wild cat research.

Canada Lynx Facts and Information

The following organizations have well researched and authoritative information on the Canada Lynx:

Canada Lynx Documentaries and Videos

These documentaries and video clips about the Canada Lynx are currently available on YouTube.


Video 3 mins - on YouTube
Animal Experts Channel 2015*

Video 4 mins - on YouTube
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2019*

Video Clip 2.5 mins - on YouTube
Photographer footage annotated by Nat Geo Wild 2018*

Apologies if any links are broken as videos are removed from time to time. If so, search for the video title to find if it is available elsewhere.

*Year published on YouTube when no year given in the video.