Iberian Lynx: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Wild Cats · day 2 of 7

Five facts

1. This lynx is a rabbit specialist. A male needs one rabbit a day, and a mother raising kittens eats three.
2. Look for the tufts on its ears and the ruff of fur framing its small head, like a set of whiskery sideburns.
3. Kittens can look after themselves at 7 to 10 months old, yet they stay with their mother until about 20 months.
4. In 2002 only 94 Iberian lynx were left in the wild, split into two groups in Andalusia, Spain.
5. A white Iberian lynx is extremely rare. One was photographed for the first time on 22 October 2025, in Jaén, Spain.

The quiz

1. How many rabbits does a male Iberian lynx need each day?

• Five
• One (correct)
• Ten
• Twenty

A male needs one rabbit a day; a mother with kittens eats three.

2. What grows on the tips of an Iberian lynx's ears?

• Small horns
• Bare pink skin
• Tufts of hair (correct)
• Long feathers

Its small head has tufted ears and a ruff of fur.

3. Until about what age do young lynx stay with their mother?

• About 20 months (correct)
• About 2 weeks
• About 3 months
• About 6 years

They are independent at 7 to 10 months but stay until about 20 months.

4. How many Iberian lynx were left in the wild in 2002?

• About 9,000
• About 2,500
• About 900
• Only 94 (correct)

Only 94 survived in 2002, in two groups in Andalusia.

5. What rare kind of Iberian lynx was first photographed in 2025?

• A spotless orange one
• A white one (correct)
• A black one
• A striped one

That rare pale lynx was snapped in Jaén, Spain, in October 2025.

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