Lynx (Lynx lynx)

The viewers of the TV program Mitt i naturen (in the middle of nature) have voted the lynx to the most popular predator in the country.

There exist 4 closely related species of the lynx in the world. Our type of lynx in Sweden is the so called European or euroasiatic lynx. The other species are the Canadian lynx (lynx Canadensis), the rödlo (lynx rufus) and the panther lynx (lynx pardina).

After the bear, the lynx is our most common four-legged predator in Sweden. It is found from Småland in the south up to Norrbotten in the north. Most frequently the lynx appears in Bergslagen, southern Norrlands coastal area and in the mountain regions.

Outside of Scandinavia the lynx appears in the large taiga and pine forests and in the mountains eastward until the Siberian east Coast and southward down unto the Himalaya.

The lynx thrives most in steep areas or boulder rich terrain, encircled of large forests. However the lynx also more often appears in cultivated areas. Like humans, the lynx can be found where there is sufficient and easy access to food.

Notwithstanding the abundance of the lynx, very few humans have ever seen a wild lynx. The animal is well camouflaged, lives a discreet type of life, prefers to live in the forests and gets active preferably during the nights.