# 001

Iberian Lynx

Lynx pardinus (Temminck, 1827)

Lince ibérico (Spanish) · Lince-ibérico (Portuguese)

Illustration coming soon · Silhouette: Margot Michaud, PhyloPic (CC0)

Half the size of its Eurasian cousin, with a bearded face, tufted ears and a heavily spotted coat, the Iberian lynx is a rabbit specialist of the Mediterranean scrub. At the turn of the century it was one of the most threatened cats on Earth, with fewer than a hundred animals left in two pockets of Andalusia [3] .

Two decades of captive breeding, reintroductions, rabbit recovery and habitat restoration have turned that around: the 2025 census counted 2,663 lynx across Spain and Portugal [2] , and in 2024 the IUCN moved the species from Endangered to Vulnerable [1] .

Head & body
68–82 cm [6]
Tail
12.5–16 cm, black tip [6]
Weight
7–16 kg [6]
Lifespan
Up to 13 years (wild) [6]
Family
Felidae · cats
Diet
Rabbit specialist [4]
StatusVU Vulnerable▲ Increasing
RangeEndemic to Spain & Portugal
ThreatsRoad trafficRabbit diseaseIllegal killingHabitat loss
Expedition Not yet seen

POPULATION

Back from the brink

Between 2002 and 2025 the population grew almost thirty-fold, and it doubled in just the last four years. The occupied range grew from 449 km2 in 2005 to at least 3,320 km2 [1] .

2,663
lynx counted in 2025, up 10.9% in a year [2]
542
territorial breeding females [2]
952
cubs born in 2025 [2]
400+
lynx reintroduced since 2010 [1]
Total Iberian lynx, Spain and Portugal (census counts)
01,0002,0003,000200220052010201520202025Iberian Lynx (#001) | Now or Never Iberian Lynx (#001) | Now or Never Iberian Lynx (#001) | Now or Never Iberian Lynx (#001) | Now or Never Iberian Lynx (#001) | Now or Never Iberian Lynx (#001) | Now or Never Iberian Lynx (#001) | Now or Never 94 in 20022,663 in 20252003–2019 not shown
Show the numbers
2002 94 [3]
2020 1,111 [3]
2021 1,365 [2]
2022 1,668 [3]
2023 2,021 [3]
2024 2,401 [7]
2025 2,663 [2]

RANGE & HABITAT

Where it lives

A Mediterranean forest cat: it needs a mosaic of dense scrub to rest and raise cubs in, next to open pasture where it hunts rabbits, mostly between 400 and 900 m above sea level [4] .

By 2002 it survived only in the Sierra Morena and Doñana. Reintroductions have since established new populations across central and southern Spain and in Portugal's Guadiana valley, and the 2025 census found lynx in six Spanish regions plus Portugal [2] .

Where the 2,663 lynx live (2025) [2]

Castilla-La Mancha1,051
Andalucía885
Portugal394
Extremadura302
Murcia19
Castilla y León11
Madrid1

BEHAVIOUR

Life of a lynx

Mostly active at dusk and through the night, though it can be seen by day, covering around 7 km a day [4] . Each adult holds a territory: about 5–7 km2 for a female and about 12 km2 for a male [6] . Rabbits make up 80–100% of what it eats [4] ; when they are scarce it takes red-legged partridges, rodents and young ungulates [6] .

How to recognise it

  • 1Half the size of the Eurasian lynx, with a small head, short body and long legs [4] .
  • 2Bold spots black or brown on a yellow, grey or reddish coat [4] .
  • 3A beard adults wear a conspicuous facial ruff [4] .
  • 4Tufted ears black ear tufts, like all lynx.
  • 5Bobbed tail short, with a black tip [6] .

A year in the life

  1. Jan–FebMating peaksThe season runs January to July [4] .
  2. Mar–AprCubs bornAfter about two months' gestation, in a rock crevice, hollow tree or bramble den [4] .
  3. 7–10 monthsIndependentUsually one or two cubs per litter survive to this point [4] .
  4. 8–28 monthsDisperseYoung lynx leave to find a territory of their own [4] .

STILL AT RISK

Threats & conservation

What kills lynx now

78%

of the 273 deaths recorded in 2025 were on roads [2]

Road traffic 212Disease 13Other 48

Among the other causes, illegal shooting was the largest, followed by drowning in irrigation ponds [2] . Longer term, the species depends on rabbit numbers, which viral diseases can crash; disease caught from domestic cats, and climate-driven habitat change, are also flagged [1] .

How it was saved

Captive breeding, releases and translocations to boost genetic diversity, protecting and restoring Mediterranean scrub, and helping rabbits recover, largely funded through successive EU LIFE projects, the latest being LIFE Lynx-Connect [1] .

  1. 2002Fewer than 100 lynx left, in two isolated populations [3] .
  2. 2005Occupied range just 449 km2 [1] .
  3. 2010Reintroductions gather pace: over 400 lynx released in Spain and Portugal since [1] .
  4. 2015IUCN downlists it from Critically Endangered to Endangered [5] .
  5. 2020Population passes 1,000 [3] .
  6. 2023Passes 2,000 [3] .
  7. 2024IUCN downlists it again, to Vulnerable [1] .

FIELD NOTES

On the expedition

The lynx is the first species on the quest list. These are the places the expedition plans to look:

Sierra de Andújar
Jaén, Andalucía
The Sierra Morena stronghold, and one of the best-known places to watch wild lynx.
Doñana
Huelva, Andalucía
The other of the two populations that survived to 2002.
Not yet seen
Sightings, photos and journal entries will appear here once the expedition reaches Spain.

RELATIVES

The lynx family

One of four living species of lynx [6] .

Iberian lynx
Lynx pardinus
Spain & Portugal
Eurasian lynx
Lynx lynx
Europe to Siberia
Canada lynx
Lynx canadensis
Canada & Alaska
Bobcat
Lynx rufus
North America

Sources

  1. IUCN (20 June 2024). Iberian lynx rebounding thanks to conservation action – IUCN Red List. iucn.org
  2. MITECO & ICNF (2026). Censo de lince ibérico 2025. www.miteco.gob.es
  3. Servimedia (2024). El lince ibérico supera los 2.000 ejemplares, nuevo récord desde 2002 (2023 census). www.servimedia.es
  4. IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group. Living species: Iberian lynx. www.catsg.org
  5. Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC (2015). Iberian lynx down-listed in the IUCN Red List. www.ebd.csic.es
  6. Wikipedia. Iberian lynx (measurements, home ranges, longevity). en.wikipedia.org
  7. Agrodigital (23 May 2025). La población de lince ibérico alcanza los 2.401 ejemplares en 2024. www.agrodigital.com

Silhouette: Lynx pardinus by Margot Michaud, PhyloPic, CC0 1.0. Page last checked October 2026.