Eurasian lynx

Scientific name: Lynx lynx

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

A large, heavily built cat with a short tail, long ear tufts, and prominent facial ruff. Coat colour ranges from pale grey to russet-brown with variable spotting; individuals are often darker in winter and lighter in summer, with white belly markings.

Size and weight

Males typically weigh 18–36 kg and measure 80–130 cm in body length; females are noticeably smaller at 14–27 kg and 73–105 cm.

Habitat

Eurasian lynx inhabit boreal and temperate forests with dense understory, including taiga, mixed woodland, and rocky terrain. They prefer areas with good prey density and escape cover, typically from lowland forests to alpine zones up to 3,000 m elevation.

Distribution

Ranges across northern and central Europe from Scandinavia to Russia and south through alpine regions to the Balkans and Carpathians. Habitat preference shifts from lowland boreal forest in the north to montane forests in southern range.

Diet

Primary prey is hares (especially snowshoe and mountain hares) and small ungulates (roe deer and chamois fawns); opportunistically takes grouse, other birds, and small mammals.

Behaviour

Solitary, crepuscular to nocturnal hunter with a home range of 20–200 km² depending on prey availability. Movement is deliberate and silent; they rely on stealth and ambush rather than pursuit.

Hunting tips

Look for large round tracks (4–5 cm diameter) with four toes and retractable claws; droppings are often scat-cached under leaf litter or snow. Glass forested slopes and transition zones between dense cover and open areas at dawn and dusk. Stalk slowly through cover, listening for movement; use ridgelines to spot cats crossing open terrain or resting on exposed rock outcrops.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 10 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.