The Eurasian lynx is the official National animal of Serbia. Eurasian Lynx was entitled to the official Serbia National animal, which is scientifically known as Lynx lynx. It is a catlike animal belonging to the animal kingdom and cat family. Serbia’s national animal, the Eurasian Lynx knew as common lynx, European lynx, Northern European lynx, Southern European lynx, Russian lynx, Siberian lynx, Baikal/Irkutsk lynx, Mongolian lynx. It is a medium-sized cat, which is commonly native to Siberia, Central, Eastern, and Southern Asia, Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The Eurasian lynx has been designated as the official National animal of Serbia.
A national mammal of Serbia Facts—
- Common Name: Common lynx, European lynx, Northern European lynx, Southern European lynx, Russian lynx, Siberian lynx, Baikal/Irkutsk lynx, Mongolian lynx.
- Scientific Name: Lynx lynx
- Color: The shorter, summer coat is inclined to be more reddish or brownish in color, the winter coat may be silver-grey, yellowish-grey, grizzled grayish-brown, ashy blue or dark grey.
- Length: 80 to 130 cm long.
- Weight: Males weigh normally from 40 to 66 lb while the females weigh 18 to 46 lb.
- Height: 70cm at the shoulder.
- Diet: Eurasian lynx are strictly carnivores, consuming only meat. They are a specialized rabbit and hare hunters. Eurasian lynx prey primarily on ungulates. Small ungulates such as roe deer, musk deer, and chamois comprise most of their diet. They are also adding their diet with red foxes, rabbits, and hares, rodents, and birds.
- Cubs: 2-3 kittens after a 2 month gestation period.
- Behavior: They are good climbers and will use trees and high rocks as places to lie up, watch for prey and even launch ambush hunts from. Characteristically crepuscular, they are active at dawn and dusk frequently sleeping out day and night in dense thickets and other protected hiding places.
- Lifespan: 17 years in the wild and 24 years in captivity.
Serbia’s national animal, the Eurasian Lynx’s breeding season spotlight on February to March when females come into estrous for a week. The females will transmit their accessibility for breeding to males through scent marks and vocalizations in neighboring territories who will then seek them out. The range of verbal communication through the breeding season; growls, coughs, grunts and meow-like caterwauling, while the other time they become quiet but will mew, hiss, growl, purr, and chatter.
Eurasian lynx will not breed at any other time of year, though sporadically females will attempt a second time in April who loses a litter. Pregnant females locate a private cave and line it with feathers, fur, and grasses for warmness and comfort, usually having 2-3 kittens after a 2 month gestation period. Kittens are born blind and vulnerable, but by 6 weeks are eating solid food and ready to leave the cave.
The National mammals of Serbia, the Eurasian lynx is a solitary animal; a secretive creature that prefers dense forests full of hiding places and stalking opportunities.
Often the only way humans know lynx are around is by footprints in the snow. Long legged with enormous, snowshoe-like webbed paws to keep them an effective and fast predator even in deep snow, they have a distinguishing ruff of hair in the region of their face and neck and have a short tail naturally around 8 inches long; which is black tipped, just like the small tufts of black hair on each ear that develops their hearing.
The National mammals of Serbia, Eurasian lynx are an extremely competent hunter. They can rapidly fetch down prey with weight, momentum, agility, and claws, and lastly killing them by choking at the throat or by suffocating mouth and nose. They are an outstandingly dominant hunter even amongst cats, with the aptitude to bring down prey four times their own size. Eurasian lynx has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2008 as it is widely distributed, and the largest part populations are considered stable.
Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_lynx
https://www.arkive.org/eurasian-lynx/lynx-lynx/
http://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/lynx_facts/329/