Canada Lynx

Over 100 wild-born lynx kittens have been born since an ambitious lynx reintroduction program began in the Southern Rockies in 1999.

A Native Cat Back From The Brink
The elusive Canada lynx once ranged from Alaska to northern New Mexico, west into California, and east to Maine. By the early 1970s, however, lynx were all but eliminated from the Southern Rockies due to trapping, shooting, and habitat degradation. In response to the extirpation (local extinction) of lynx in our region, the Colorado Division of Wildlife launched an ambitious and popularly-supported reintroduction effort. Between 1999 and 2007, 218 lynx were released in the San Juan mountains of southwestern Colorado. The reintroduced cats have spread throughout the region, roaming south into New Mexico, west into Utah, and north into southern Wyoming. Unfortunately, highway mortality, disease, habitat fragmentation, shooting, ski area expansion, and the lack of adequate habitat protections continue to threaten the survival of reintroduced lynx in our region.

Natural History
The Canada lynx is a remarkable native cat. They have long ears with sharp, dark tufts, a very thick coat, and long legs. Sometimes mistaken for a bobcat, the lynx tail is gray with a black tip, whereas the bobcat’s tail is striped. Like most cats, lynx have retractable claws for fighting and climbing trees. They have dense, coarse hair on their large paws, creating a natural snowshoe that allows the cat to walk on top of deep snow. This gives them an advantage over other predators in cold climates and at high altitudes. Lynx are solitary, secretive hunters, usually active at night. Their typical hunting strategy is patience, stalking prey or crouching in wait beside a trail. Their main food source (about 75%) is the snowshoe hare, and a single lynx will eat 150 to 200 hares a year, about one every other day.

Conservation Status
-Threatened Species, Endangered Species Act
-Forest Service Sensitive Species
-Colorado Division of Wildlife Endangered Species
-Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy Science Forum Species of Most Concern
-Wyoming Species of Special Concern

Action Taken
Through a successful community outreach campaign with our conservation allies, we overcame fierce opposition from the small but politically powerful anti-lynx lobby. The result: a successful reintroduction effort that now features over 200 lynx roaming across Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Utah, including the first generations born in the wild here in decades. With a successful reintroduction effort behind us, we now focus our attention on ensuring that involved state and federal agencies adequately protect lynx habitat so that this population may one day be self-sustaining. Along the way, we are helping to protect essential lynx habitat in places like Wolf Creek Pass, the Rio Grande National Forest, and Vail Pass.

Learn More
KUNC: Groups Threaten Lawsuit Over Lynx Plan

Canada Lynx

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