Iberian lynx

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Species | Conservation

Why in news?

Recently, the world’s 1^st rare white Iberian lynx has been spotted in Spain’s Jaén mountains by wildlife photographer Ángel Hidalgo.

Scientific name – Lynx pardinus.
Family – Felidae.
Iberian lynx is considered as world’s most threatened cat species.
Geographical range – It is endemic to the southern Iberian Peninsula, where it occurs in Spain, Portugal and Southern France.
Habitat – It prefers open grassland mixed with dense shrubs such as strawberry tree, mastic, and juniper, and trees such as holm oak and cork oak.
Appearance – It has its sharp eyes, dark ear tufts, heavily spotted tawny coat, long legs and a very short tail with a black tip and a "beard" of fur around its face, and prominent black ear tufts.

Iberian Lynx

Size – It is smaller than its relative, the Eurasian lynx, with males typically weighing 7–15.9 kg and females weighing 9.2–10 kg.
Prey – It is a carnivore that depends heavily on wild rabbits to feed, also eat ducks, young deer.
Conservation Status
- IUCN – Vulnerable
- CITES – Appendix II
Threats – Habitat destruction, reduction in prey, and human-induced threats such as poaching, road accidents, and habitat fragmentation and alteration.

Quick Fact

White Iberian lynx

It is believed to be the world’s 1^st leucistic Iberian lynx ever recorded.
Leucism – A condition that causes a lack of pigmentation in the fur, but not in the eyes, causing the ghostly appearance of the wildcat.
Appearance – It is unusually pale, cream-coloured coat, while retaining the typical features of its species - sharp eyes, dark ear tufts, and the signature facial ruff.
White lynx's light fur offers poor camouflage in the wild, making survival more challenging.

White Iberian Lynx

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