In most ecosystems, predators have more than one food source. “We need to see an exchange of animals that will give us an exchange of genes,” he says. The Lynx has longer legs and broader footpads for walking in deep snow. © Peter Harrison, Distribution of the Iberian Lynx. This publication describes the very urgent situation regarding the Iberian Lynx. “On a more emotional level, the lynx is a jewel and a thing of beauty to behold.”, Available for everyone, funded by readers. Why endangered: decrease in prey; also habitat loss, poaching (illegal hunting), and diseases; Did You Know? The poor Iberian lynx has lost its habitat to roads, developments and greenhouses. In 1970, the hunting of Iberian Lynx was made illegal. In 2002, there were fewer than 100 left in the wild. It is even less diverse than other endangered mammals, such as the Giant Panda or Amur Tiger. The Iberian lynx is found in Mediterranean woodland and maquis thicket, and favours a combination of dense scrub for shelter and open pasture for hunting rabbits. Iberian Lynx is an endemic cat species that is found in Iberian Peninsula, Europe. This is due to a lack of food. It is the most endangered cat species in the world. One individual was seen less than 20 miles away from the city center of Madrid! In addition to creating 30 full-time jobs, forestry work carried out under the program has provided much-needed work for hundreds of small businesses in the area. Experts say that if the current conservation and reintroduction efforts can maintain their momentum, the species could be out of danger by 2040. We need to help Europe's most endangered felid get out of the danger zone. But lynx aren't only predators; they've also fallen prey to trapping, especially when wearing spotted cat fur became all the rage in the '60s and '70s. The Iberian lynx has almost no threats except man, but it is almost extinct. Like all Lynx it features a short tail and tuft ears. The latest phase of the programme, the five-year Life Lynxconnect project, has a budget of €18.8m, 60% of which comes from the EU. The primary threat to the cats in these areas is the expanding population of the eastern coyote. But their future is far from secure. In the absence of lynxes, medium-sized predators that eat rabbits – such as foxes and Egyptian mongooses – put prey species under a lot of pressure. According to the conservation group SOS Lynx, if this species died out, it would be one of the few feline extinctions since the Smilodon 10,000 years ago. ONCE on the endangered-species list, Spain’s native Iberian lynx population is thriving. Despite extensive surveys, they have not been detected in Portugal since the 1990’s. Still, we were anxious to have better and more prolonged looks. The iberian Lynx currently inhabits the Iberian Peninsula, Spain and scattered around Portugal. Now there are over 300. They are classed as regionally endangered in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, where researchers have reported fertile hybrids between Canada Lynx and the Bobcat. The Iberian Lynx has one of the least genetically-diverse genomes. Once in the tens of thousands in southern Spain and Portugal, the Iberian lynx was devastated in the 20th century by over-hunting, the decimation of its main prey, rabbits, by diseases, construction and loss of territory. Without the rabbits the Lynxes cannot eat, and if they can’t eat, they starve. Spotty of coat, tufty of ear, and teetering on the verge of extinction less than two decades ago, the Iberian lynx is continuing to claw its way back across Spain and Portugal. The species were overhunted and poached in the 20th century, you may be wondering how many Iberian lynx are left in the world? In 1996, IUCN identified Iberian Lynx as the most endangered among all the wild cat species in the world. Answer to: Why are lynx an endangered species? The Iberian lynx is officially the feline at greatest risk of extinction. Our first aim was just to stop them becoming extinct.”. It is similar to other versions of the genus Lynx. Canada Lynx are rare and protected where they occur in south-eastern Canada. The markings on the tan or grayish fur are very distinct. Iberian lynx hunt rabbits. The Iberian lynx is currently the most threatened carnivore in Europe, with population numbers estimated around 100 in recent years after being at 400 in 2000 and 4,000 in 1960. The Iberian lynx is the world's most endangered cat. The Iberian Lynx has one of the least genetically-diverse genomes. The Iberian lynx, like its cousin the bobcat, is a smaller wild cat species with a bobbed tail and tufts on the tips of its ears. To learn more about discovering Spain’s wildlife, visit our Spain’s Wilderness expedition page. 2004; Simón Mata 2006). It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. A 20-year project to reintroduce the species across the peninsula has seen their numbers rise to 855. It's population was nearly obliterated. Equally important will be the mapping and marking of blackspots: in 2019, 34 lynxes died after being run over. The Iberian Lynx can be described as having a small head, long legs, flared ruff in the face area, and a short but very dark tipped tail. Back then, they were the most endangered felines in the world. We had already glimpsed the mighty hunter walking off into the sagebrush ahead of us as we explored the Coto Doñana National Park by 4×4. The Iberian lynx is about to become extinct due to various threats such as poaching, encounters with vehicles, the decrease in the population of the Iberian rabbit, its main prey, and of its ecosystem -- due to industrial agriculture. 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