Iberian lynx
Lynx pardinus (Temminck, 1827)
The iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), also called the Pardel lynx or Spanish lynx, is a mammal of the family Felidae in the order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized, nocturnal, terrestrial carnivore with an adult body mass of 9.4 kg, and up to 10.22 kg.
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Quick facts about the iberian lynx
Its main foods include lepus granatensis, lepus europaeus, red-legged partridge, roe deer, red deer and carrion. The species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, a threatened category, and has a gestation period of 67.9 days with 2.5 young per litter.
- Weight
- 9.4 kg – 10.2 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 11.3 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 13 years
- Main food
- algerian mouse, carrion, common blackbird, common pheasant, common quail, common wood pigeon and 30 moresrc for Main food
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Gestation
- 67.9 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2.5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the iberian lynx
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the iberian lynx live?
Not recorded
What is the iberian lynx?
The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is one of four extant species of Lynx, a genus of medium-sized wild cats. It is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. Fossils suggest that it has been present in Iberia since the end of the Early Pleistocene around 1 million years ago. It is a monotypic species and is thought to have evolved from Lynx issiodorensis.
The Iberian lynx population declined in the 20th century primarily due to overhunting, poaching, fragmentation of suitable habitats, and the population decline of its main prey species, such as the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), caused by myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease. By the turn of the 21st century, the Iberian lynx was on the verge of extinction, as only 94 individuals survived in two isolated subpopulations in Andalusia in 2002. Since then, conservation measures have been implemented, which included improving habitat, restocking of rabbits, translocating, reintroducing, and monitoring Iberian lynxes. Between 2012 and 2024, the population had increased from a low of 326 individuals to some 2,021, leading to its reclassification as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
From the Wikipedia article “Iberian lynx” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Iberian_lynx&oldid=1384655900), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the iberian lynx endangered?
The iberian lynx is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.
How is the iberian lynx classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderCarnivora
- familyFelidae
- genusLynx
- SpeciesLynx pardinus (Temminck, 1827)
Synonyms Felis lynx pardina, Felis pardina, Lynx lynx pardina
Other names and names in other languages (47)
- Lynx pardinus pardinusEnglish
- Pardel lynxEnglish
- Spanish lynxEnglish
- Iberiese RooikatAfrikaans
- وشق أيبيريArabic
- وشق الإسبانيArabic
- Cerval ibericoAragonese
- Linx IbèricCatalan
- rys pardálovýCzech
- Spansk losDanish
- Iberisk losDanish
- PardelluchsGerman
- Iberischer LuchsGerman
- Ιβηρικός ΛύγκαςGreek
- Lince ibericoSpanish
- iberianilvesFinnish
- Pantteri-ilvesFinnish
- Lynx ibériqueFrench
- Lynx d'EspagneFrench
- Lynx pardelleFrench
- Pirenejski risCroatian
- ibériai hiúzHungarian
- Պիրենեյան լուսանArmenian
- Lince pardinaItalian
- スペインオオヤマネコJapanese
- 스페인스라소니Korean
- 에스파냐스라소니Korean
- 이베리아스라소니Korean
- PantergaupeNorwegian Bokmål
- Iberisk GaupeNorwegian Bokmål
- Spansk GaupeNorwegian Bokmål
- Spaanse lynxDutch
- Iberische lynxDutch
- ryś iberyjskiPolish
- Lince ibéricoPortuguese
- Lince-ibéricoPortuguese
- Râs ibericRomanian
- Râs pardosRomanian
- Пиренейская рысьRussian
- iberijski risSlovenian
- panterloSwedish
- iberiskt lodjurSwedish
- spansk loSwedish
- ลิงซ์สเปนThai
- İber vaşağıTurkish
- Рись іспанськаUkrainian
- 伊比利亞猞猁Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List
Relatives of the iberian lynx
Other species in the same genus Lynx.
Eurasian lynx
Lynx lynx
Bobcat
Lynx rufus
Canada lynx
Lynx canadensis
CompareIberian lynx vs Eurasian lynxIberian lynx vs BobcatIberian lynx vs Canada lynxIberian lynx vs Lynx spelaea
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the iberian lynx?
The iberian lynx is a mammal of the family Felidae, subfamily Felinae, in the order Carnivora.
How heavy is the iberian lynx?
An adult Iberian lynx has a body mass of 9.4 kg, with a highest reported value of 10.22 kg. It falls in the medium size class.
What does the iberian lynx eat?
The iberian lynx is a carnivore. Its main foods include lepus granatensis, lepus europaeus, red-legged partridge, roe deer, red deer, mallard and carrion.
Is the iberian lynx endangered?
The iberian lynx is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.
How long does the iberian lynx live?
Sources give the iberian lynx a lifespan of 11.28 years, with a highest reported value of 13 years.
How many young does the iberian lynx have?
The iberian lynx has 2.5 young per litter after a gestation period of 67.9 days.
Who named the iberian lynx?
The scientific name Lynx pardinus is attributed to (Temminck, 1827).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/iberian-lynx
“Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/iberian-lynx.
@misc{iberian_lynx_2026,
title = {Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/iberian-lynx},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}