130925-studie-wildlife-comeback-in-europe

3.13. Iberian lynx
Lynx pardinus
Summary
The Iberian lynx was previously widespread and
common on the Iberian peninsula, but declined
from the 1960s due to prey depletion, habitat loss
and fragmentation, and non-natural mortality.
At present, the species is extinct in Portugal and
restricted to two populations in southern Spain.
Both of these have shown moderate improvements
in status over the past few decades, much of which
appears to be attributable to habitat and species
management.
With continued conservation measures,
particularly those focussing on connecting
fragmented populations, mitigating threats and
ensuring genetic integrity, the Iberian lynx should
be able to expand into areas where suitable habitat
remains.
Background
day [4] . Occasionally, other prey is taken, especially
during the winter months when rabbit numbers
are low [4] .
Distribution in Europe
The Iberian lynx was sympatric with the Eurasian
lynx in southern France and Iberia during the
Pleistocene [5] . In the Iberian peninsula, which
acted as a Pleistocene refuge for the European
rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) [6] , the species was
widespread until the mid-19 th century [4, 7] . By
the 20 th century, the species had become rare in
the north but remained abundant in the centre
and south of Spain, but by the mid-1960s, it was
limited to the southwestern part of the Iberian
peninsula [4, 7] , where it had a fragmented distribution
[8] . At present, the species is extinct in
Portugal [9] , and restricted to two separate populations
in southern Spain [10] .
General description of the species
Despite a superficial resemblance to the more
common Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), the Iberian
lynx (Lynx pardinus) is remarkably different in
terms of size, habitat preference and behaviour [1] .
As a solitary [2] and mostly nocturnal species [3] , the
lynx hunts at dusk and dawn [3] . It feeds almost
exclusively on rabbits; these make up at least 90%
of its diet and it requires approximately one per
Habitat preferences and general densities
The Iberian lynx requires Mediterranean scrubland
to live, i.e. a mosaic of dense scrubs for shelter and
open pasture for hunting [11] . Densities vary with
habitat quality, especially rabbit abundance [12] .
For example, the best quality habitat in Doñana
supports 0.8 adults/km 2 , whereas 0.1 to 0.2 adults
are found per km 2 in areas with moderate rabbit
density [12] . The estimated mean density is 0.2
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