July 3, 2024, 5:07 am | Read time: 5 minutes
Just a few years ago, the Iberian lynx was one of the rarest cats in the world. It is a solitary animal whose population was severely threatened, with only 94 animals left in some regions! Since then, however, the species has recovered, thanks to targeted conservation projects.
The Iberian lynx looks very similar to the Eurasian lynx. Nevertheless, the two wild cat species differ in their location and appearance. While the Eurasian lynx originally inhabited almost all of Northern, Eastern, and Central Europe from the Pyrenees to the Urals, the Iberian lynx was only found in Spain and Portugal. This is where it got its name: it is the lynx that is at home on the Iberian Peninsula.
Both lynx species have a similar appearance; they are very long-legged and have characteristic tufts on their ears. The Iberian lynx, also known as the Pardell lynx, also has distinctive whiskers. The Eurasian lynx kills many small rodents and mammals, as well as birds and fish, while the Iberian relative hunts primarily wild rabbits. Because of their smaller area of distribution, they are more susceptible to disturbances within the ecosystem. This happened previously in the middle of the 20th century, when an outbreak of the rabbit plague decimated the population. Both lynx species were considered almost extinct for a long time. However, Eurasian lynxes have since been reintroduced to Germany thanks to breeding programs. In contrast, the Iberian lynx is still highly endangered.
Overview
Lifestyle of the Iberian lynx
In contrast to its Eurasian relative, the Iberian lynx prefers less wooded areas. It prefers loosely overgrown pine groves or land covered with shrubs. In Spain and Portugal, large areas of eucalyptus and pine trees were planted. This displaced the native cistus and cork oak forests and therefore took the lynx’s habitat. Wild rabbits as well feel less at home around those trees, which leads to the Iberian lynx lacking this source of food in the artificially afforested forests. Today, they are more likely to be found in mountainous areas, where there is less forestry and less disturbance from humans.
Lynxes are nocturnal and also hunt at night. The lynx population also depends on the population of wild rabbits, as they are their main food source. They wait for their prey in the dark near rabbit burrows and perform a direct attack with a skillful leap. The hunted rabbits will then be “dragged” a few kilometers to be eaten in peace.
The Iberian lynx is a “lightweight”
The Eurasian lynx can weigh up to 37 kilograms, while the smaller and significantly lighter Iberian lynx only weighs a maximum of 15 kilograms. Furthermore, Iberian lynxes also have the stumpy tail typical of a lynx. They also appear darker than their Eurasian relatives due to the smaller and more numerous spots on their fur. These originally gave the lynx from Spain and Portugal its second name, Pardel, which is a historical term for leopard. The people who gave it this name were reminded of the spotted pattern of the wild cat from Africa and Asia.1
Why the Iberian lynx was considered the rarest big cat in the world for a long time
About 20 years ago, the population of the Iberian lynx was estimated at only 50 and considered almost extinct. This is mainly due to the destruction of its habitat from the construction of roads, railways, and gas pipelines. This meant that many semi-open, low-growing forest zones with cork oaks or cistus trees, which the lynx prefers as a habitat, were cleared. The popularity of its fur among fur hunters has also been a contributing factor in its rapid disappearance. In the 1970s, lynx hunting was banned in Spain and Portugal while various conservation programs were set up.
This is how the population was restored
Thanks to targeted conservation projects, the population has since recovered. The animals have been actively reintroduced, and the population of their main prey, wild rabbits, has been restored. In addition, farmers receive compensation when lynxes take animals from their farms. Thanks to these measures, experts estimate the population to have returned to more than 2000 (as of 2023)..2
As a result, the conservation status of the Iberian lynx has been downgraded from “Critically Endangered” to “Endangered”. This means that although the species is no longer threatened with extinction, it remains “threatened by ongoing or foreseeable human impacts”..3
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The Iberian lynx cannot survive without the help of humans
The lynxes of the Iberian Peninsula continue to be endangered, primarily due to the disappearance of their habitat. Diseases such as rabbit plague or feline leukosis could also further decimate the population. Continued conservation measures intend to further strengthen the population.
These include, above all, measures to preserve and create new habitats for their main food source, the wild rabbit. This will not only benefit the lynx, but also other endangered species, such as the Spanish imperial eagle. Breeding efforts and subsequent reintroduction into areas formerly inhabited by the Iberian lynx are also proving successful.