Context: As per the Spanish government, the number of endangered Iberian lynx in the wild in Spain and Portugal has nearly doubled since 2020.

• Iberian Lynx Population in Spain and Portugal Nearly Doubles Since 2020

As per the Spanish government

• 2023 Lynx Birth:  In 2023 a total of 722 lynx were born in Spain.

• Total Lynx Population: The Combined lynx population in Spain and Portugal has reached 2021.

• Recent Population Growth: The Lynx Population has doubled from 1,111 just three years earlier.

About Iberian lynx

• The Iberian lynx is the world’s most endangered feline species. 

• Characteristic Features: Of all lynx, the Iberian has the most heavily spotted coat. 

• The coat is sparse, short, and coarse. The coat’s base color is bright yellowish red or tawny, overlaid with dark brown or black spots. 

• The cat has white underparts. This species, like other cat species, is sexually dimorphic, with males being heavier and longer than females. 

• Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species.

• Habitat: The Iberian lynx lives in Mediterranean forests composed of native oaks and abundant undergrowth and thickets. 

• It favours a mixture of dense scrub for shelter and open pasture for hunting. 

• Iberian lynx are found only in two small areas of southwest Spain on the Iberian Peninsula, west of the Pyrenees mountains. 

Threats

• Habitat destruction and alteration due to agricultural and industrial development

• Conversion of native Mediterranean forest to plantations with no undergrowth

• Direct persecution

• Killed by automobiles

• Caught illegally or hunted with dogs

• Killed in traps set for other predators

Conservation Status

• The Iberian lynx is considered Endangered (EN) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

• In 2015 the Iberian lynx was officially downgraded from Critically Endangered to Endangered. 

• The Iberian lynx is protected under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).