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Lynx
Behaviour
Lynx are
good climbers but because of their preference for snowshoe hare they usually
hunt on the ground. They are most
active during the night and the twilight of dawn and dusk.
Their sense of smell is poor, their hearing is good and their eyes are
well adapted for hunting in low light. They
also have excellent depth perception, which aids in capturing prey.
Lynx hunt by searching places where hares are likely to live, flushing
them into the open and overtaking them with a short burst of speed or by
ambushing them along frequently used trails.
Females with kittens often hunt cooperatively.
Habitat
Lynx
are found where there are snowshoe hares. Lynx
prefer diverse forest with stands of conifer, softwoods, or mature
mixed-wood for cover, and shrubby areas for feeding.
Old growth forests with little understory are not attractive to either
species.
Wildfires
and some types of logging improve lynx habitat by opening up areas of mature
forest for new growth. Fifteen to
20 years after a fire, the new growth of deciduous shrubs, jackpine, and spruce
attracts snowshoe hares, which makes it prime habitat for lynx.
Fire can be particularly effective in creating a mixture of new growth
areas, unburned bogs, and mature stands of trees.
Logging in small strips or blocks will also provide areas of new growth,
but clear-cut logging of large areas is not favourable for hares or lynx because
it removes all cover and most of the food.
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