Eurasian lynx in Polissia
Lynx lynx
Red Data Book of Ukraine: rare
The lynx is a stocky cat with long legs, a short “bobbed” tail with a black tip, ear tufts and side whiskers. Its fur is reddish-grey with dark spots, thick and paler in winter. Its paws are broad, so the lynx walks well in deep snow.
In Ukraine the lynx has survived mainly in the Carpathians and in Polissia. In Polissia it keeps to large tracts of forest with bogs and few people: it has been recorded in the Polissia and Rivne nature reserves and in the Chornobyl zone.
The lynx hunts from ambush or by stalking; its main prey is hares, roe deer and birds. It is active mostly at dusk and at night, and spends the day hiding in windfalls and dense thickets. Its tracks are round, without claw marks, laid in a chain.
The lynx is listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine and hunting it is prohibited. It avoids people. If you find tracks or a kill, do not follow the trail to the den; photos of the tracks can be passed on to scientists at the nearest reserve.
When to see: in winter by tracks in the snow; seeing one alive is rare
Where it was seen in Polissia
Observations from the open scientific database GBIF since 1990. Locations are shown approximately, to within 10 km.
More in “Mammals”
Grey wolf
The top predator of Polissia's forests and bogs, keeping numbers of wild boar, roe deer and red deer in check.
Eurasian beaver
The natural engineer of Polissia's rivers: its dams and lodges reshape floodplains and create new ponds.
Eurasian otter
An agile semi-aquatic predator of the weasel family that lives on the clean rivers and lakes of Polissia.
European bison
Europe's largest land mammal. In Polissia it lives in the Tsuman Forest, the Zubr reserve and Zalissia National Park, and enters the Chornobyl zone.