In the 1950s, the northern population extended from the Mediterranean to Galicia and parts of northern Portugal, and the southern population from central to southern Spain. The Iberian lynx was once present throughout the Iberian Peninsula. Its body is short with long legs and a short tail. Its head is small with tufted ears and a ruff. They are arranged in lines and decrease in size from the back towards the sides. The spots vary in shape and size from small round to elongate. The Iberian lynx has a short bright yellowish to tawny coloured spotted fur. Its closest living relative is the Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx) with which it coexisted to a certain degree until the 20th century. The Iberian lynx genetically diverged as a unique species 1.98 to 0.7 million years ago. The earliest fossil remains of the Iberian lynx date to the Early Pleistocene. The Iberian lynx is thought to have evolved from Lynx issiodorensis. It is a monotypic species, and is thought to have evolved from Lynx issiodorensis.įelis pardina was the scientific name proposed by Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1827 who described skins of Iberian lynxes that were killed in the area of the Tagus river in Portugal and were traded in Paris and London. By 2012, the population had increased to 326 individuals, to 855 in 2020, and to 1,111 in 2021. Conservation measures have been implemented since then, which included improving habitat, restocking of rabbits, translocating, reintroducing and monitoring Iberian lynxes. īy the turn of the 21st century, the Iberian lynx was on the verge of extinction, as only 94 individuals survived in two isolated subpopulations in Andalusia in 2002. In the 20th century, the Iberian lynx population had declined because of overhunting, poaching, fragmentation of suitable habitats, and the population decline of its main prey species, the European rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus), caused by myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The Iberian lynx ( Lynx pardinus) is a wild cat species endemic to the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe.
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