Feliformia Spotlight: Canadian Lynx

I'll get straight to the point with this one. The Canadian lynx has really large paws. Although this is a trait for most lynxes, this was the one I found first. I'm pretty much playing first-come-first-serve here. Let's have a look at these pretty cats and their paws.

The Canadian lynx is a big cat. They measure as much as 39 inches from head to tail and can stand as high as 22 inches tall. They have extremely short tails. The heaviest they can get is about 40 pounds. The coat is generally yellowish brown but can sometimes be grey. They have black fur shooting up from their tips of their ears which is an iconic symbol for these animals. I am personally fond of their extremely large paws on both the front and back. Even as kittens, those paws are quite large. As would be expected, this animal can be found all over Canada; however, they are often spotted in some northern states of the US.

This animal really loves to eat a particular kind of hare called the snowshoe hare. If these animals are in the area, they are pretty much all the Canadian lynx is going to hunt for. This creature is known for going as far as 5 miles a day for its food; however, if it cannot find any of the type of hare that it wants, the Canadian lynx will settle for other animals such as ducks, grouse, moles, red squirrels, voles, and young deer.

Mating is particularly interesting with the Canadian lynx. The female is only able to mate for a few days somewhere between March and May. She broadcasts that she is ready by urinating. When a male find her, he understands time is of the essence. For this reason, he will breed with the female over and over again until the job is done. In most cases, the two will mate for six times in one hour. Gestation is 64 days and the litter ranges from one to four kittens; however, if they are in an area where prey is abundant, the female can give birth to many more.

The Canadian lynx's paws, as I have mentioned, are super big. The reason for this is due to them being broadened by wide-spaced metatarsals. They can spread as wide as 4 inches. This allows them to move very quickly and easily through the snow. For me, I just enjoy looking at them. They are very lovely-looking paws.

In fiction, I see the lynx being a very large and friendly beast. He is more than comfortable shaking hands with people. After all, he has the hands to do it with. At dinner he is probably a picky eater but can bend if the company so wishes him to. Sex life happens in short bursts. He'll literally go a whole year in a platonic relationship when suddenly a three day sex party happens at his house between him and his girlfriend. Everyone wonders why he comes to work the next day with his shirt on backwards. Of course, his response would be something like, "I'll tell you when your older, kid."

Have a look at these creatures! I'm pretty sure your cat doesn't have paws these big. Even without the paws, they are beautiful to look at.

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