01 August,2016 03:19 PM IST | | mid-day online correspondent
A lynx is released from its cage into the wild, in Kaiserlautern, western Germany
lynx released in the wild
A lynx is released from its cage into the wild, in Kaiserlautern, western Germany.
Pics/AFP
Three lynxes were released in this area. One male named Lucky, one year old, and two females Luna, 5 and Kaja, 3.
A lynx is any of the four species within the Lynx genus of medium-sized wild cats, which includes the bobcat. It's name is derived from the Indo-European root leuk, which means light or brightness, in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes.
There are 4 species of lynxes namely - Eurasian, Canada, Iberian and Bobcat. It's usually a solitary animal, although a small group of lynx may travel and hunt together occasionally. Mating takes place in the late winter and once a year the female gives birth to between one and four kittens.
The lynx creates its den in crevices or under ledges and feeds on a wide range of animals from white-tailed deer, reindeer, roe deer, small red deer, and chamois, to smaller, more usual prey: snowshoe hares, fish, foxes, sheep, squirrels, mice, turkeys and other birds, and goats. It also eats ptarmigans, voles, and grouse.
