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Lynx kitten General behavioral traits resemble that of a leopard. Lynx are usually solitary, although a small group of lynx can travel and hunt together. Mating takes place in the late winter and they give birth to 2 to 4 kittens once a year. Their desired resting place is in crevices or under ledges. They feed on a wide range of animals up to the size of Reindeer, Roe Deer and Chamois, but more often birds, small mammals like snowshoe hares, fish, sheep and goats. Lynx have been observed (2006) in the Wet Mountains of Colorado. In recent years a few Lynx sightings have started to pop up in the southern Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina, specifically in the area from Mount Mitchell across to the Shope Creek Forest area (part of Pisgah National Forrest). One Lynx was even caught alive in a cage trap at Graystone Cabins near Barnardsville, NC - the animal was later released alive in a wilderness area within Madison County, NC. Although USFWS officials still deny the presence of Lynx in the southern Appalachians, the most recent sighting was reported in Sept 2007, along the Shope Creek Forest area. USFWS officials say that, if these sightings were in fact Lynx, they were most likely illegally held pets that were either let go or had escaped. Spotting a lynx is a very rare event in and of itself, due to the extremely shy and solitary nature of the animal. It is a secretive cat and usually avoids people; it has been reported to attack humans, but very rarely, almost exclusively in defense. The female lynx has 2 kittens in the winter season. The young stay with the mother for 1 more winter and can then live for themselves. |
