Head to head
Iberian Lynx vs Eurasian Lynx
Europe has two lynx species, and they are easy to tell apart once you know the scale. The Iberian lynx is a compact, heavily spotted cat restricted to a corner of southwest Europe, and it is one of conservation's great recent turnarounds. The Eurasian lynx is roughly two to three times heavier, ranges across the whole northern half of the continent and deep into Asia, and hunts much larger prey.
| Iberian Lynx | Eurasian Lynx | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Lynx pardinus | Lynx lynx |
| Range | Spain and Portugal only | Western Europe across Russia to Central Asia |
| Weight | About 9 to 13 kg (smallest lynx) | About 18 to 30 kg (largest lynx) |
| Coat | Tawny with bold, clear spots; heavy beard | Greyer, spotting varies from bold to almost plain |
| Main prey | European rabbit, up to 80 to 100 per cent of the diet | Roe deer and other deer, plus hares and birds |
| Habitat | Mediterranean scrub and open woodland | Large temperate and boreal forests |
| Recent history | From about 94 animals in 2002 to over 2,000 today | Widespread; several successful reintroductions in Europe |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (improved from Critically Endangered) | Least Concern |
Iberian Lynx vs Eurasian Lynx: common questions
How much bigger is the Eurasian lynx than the Iberian lynx?
Roughly two to three times the body weight. An Iberian lynx weighs about 9 to 13 kg, similar to a large domestic cat plus a bit more, while a Eurasian lynx usually weighs 18 to 30 kg, and big males in the eastern part of the range can exceed 30 kg. The Eurasian lynx also stands taller, with longer legs and bigger feet that act as snowshoes in the northern winter. The Iberian lynx looks more delicate and more heavily marked, with a shorter body and a more spotted coat, adaptations that suit a warm, dry, brushy landscape and a diet of small prey rather than deep snow and deer.
Why did the Iberian lynx almost go extinct?
Because it built its whole way of life around one prey animal, the European rabbit, and that animal crashed. Rabbits in Iberia were hit first by myxomatosis in the 1950s and then by rabbit haemorrhagic disease from the late 1980s, and in many areas rabbit numbers fell by 90 per cent or more. A lynx that needs about one rabbit a day, and far more when feeding kittens, simply could not survive in much of its range. On top of that, its scrubland habitat was cleared for farming and plantations, and many lynx were killed in traps set for other animals or hit by cars on the growing road network. By 2002 the species was down to two small populations in southern Spain.
Is the Iberian lynx still endangered?
It is still threatened, but far less critically than it was. Thanks to a large captive-breeding programme, reintroductions into new areas of Spain and Portugal, work to rebuild rabbit populations, and measures to reduce road deaths, the wild population has grown from under 100 animals to more than 2,000, spread across many more sites. In 2024 the International Union for Conservation of Nature reclassified it from Endangered to Vulnerable, calling it one of the greatest recoveries of a cat species ever achieved. It remains dependent on continued management, and a new rabbit disease outbreak or a disease in the lynx population itself could still cause a serious setback.