Assessment of Current and Future Conditions of Canada lynx in the Contiguous US: November 14, 2024

The Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis; lynx) is a snow-adapted North American boreal forest carnivore whose populations are strongly tied to its primary prey, the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus; hare). A habitat and prey specialist, the lynx is broadly distributed across the extensive boreal spruce-fir forests from eastern Canada to Alaska, where it remains widespread and abundant throughout most of its historical range. Although the lynx is designated a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, it has been listed in the contiguous U.S. as a threatened distinct population segment (DPS) since 2000. Here, on its southern range periphery, lynx usually occur in smaller numbers and at lower densities than are typical in the northern core of its range, and the boreal forest becomes naturally patchy and suboptimal with decreasing latitude, as it transitions to temperate forest types that do not support lynx. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has long recognized the potential threat that climate warming poses to the DPS; however, our ability to project and quantify potential impacts has been limited until recent advances in species distribution modeling and climate modeling.