Canada Lynx
Thick, fluffy fur. Big snowshoe paws. A Canada lynx is a beautiful wild cat, uniquely adapted to its snowy environment. Come meet ours!
Our Canada lynxes Omak (male) and Nuka (female) come from different backgrounds, but enjoy sharing a habitat. Nuka was born in 2015 at the Erie Zoological Gardens, and came to Northwest Trek in 2017. Omak was born at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in 2013, and arrived in 2014. They’re not a breeding pair, but can often be seen playing and chasing each other around!
So what do our lynxes love to do?
Nuka likes stalking birds, and keepers too! She follows them as they work, hiding behind trees.
Omak’s favorite treat is chicken gizzards – if a keeper has them, he’ll pay more attention!
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Big feet, long fur
Long legs, short tail
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A medium-sized cat with short tail and long legs. Canada lynx have huge feet and protruding ears tipped with long black hairs. |
With silvery-gray fur, they are adapted to living in snowy boreal and coniferous forests across Canada and the U.S. |
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Snowshoe paws
for hunting prey.
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The lynx’s large paws support it like snowshoes when walking over deep snow. |
Not a fast runner, it usually ambushes or silently stalks its prey, relying on a surprise rush for capture. |
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Endangered
like its prey.
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Canada lynx rely on healthy snowshoe hare populations for survival. |
Both species are dwindling, and the Canada lynx is now endangered. |