TEHRAN – A lynx, a rare endangered wild cat, was found dead reportedly in a car crash in Savojbolagh, north-central Alborz province.

The female lynx has been hit by a car in the village of Aghasht in Savojbolagh city, Fardin Hakimi, the provincial department of environment chief said, ISNA reported on Tuesday.

A lynx is any of the four species (Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx, bobcat) within the medium-sized wild cat genus lynx. The name lynx originated in Middle English via Latin from a Greek word in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes.

Two other cats that are sometimes called lynxes, the caracal (desert lynx) and the jungle cat (jungle lynx), are not members of the genus lynx.

Lynx has a short tail, characteristic tufts of black hair on the tips of their ears, large, padded paws for walking on snow and long whiskers on the face. Under their neck they have a ruff which has black bars resembling a bow tie, although this is often not visible.

The Eurasian lynx ranges from central and northern Europe across Asia up to Northern Pakistan and India. In Iran, they live in Mount Damavand area. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the Eurasian lynx was considered extinct in the wild in Slovenia and Croatia. A resettlement project, begun in 1973, has successfully reintroduced lynx to the Slovenian Alps and the Croatian regions of Gorski Kotar and Velebit. In both countries, the lynx is listed as an endangered species and protected by law. 

FB/MG