Lynxes are loners, but they still communicate with each other – sometimes with smell, urine marks or with sounds. Scent marks clearly signal conspecifics when they enter a foreign territory. A freshly marked territory is intended to deter. In the mating season, on the other hand, urine marks attract potential partners. Lynx draw attention to each other with sounds that are similar to the meowing of a typical domestic cat. During the mating season, males may also snarl or howl.
The appearance of a Eurasian lynx is unmistakable: short tail and beige-reddish-brown fur with black spots. Its shoulder height measures about 50 to 70 centimeters and a head-torso length of 70 to 120 centimeters. As a result, it has a very compact, almost rectangular physique.
His striking face is framed by bushy whiskers. The function of the sideburns has not yet been clearly clarified. Both males and females have this small mane. There is a theory among researchers that the beard serves as a horn to better target prey.
Another prominent feature is the brush ears. The lynx has tufts of black hair up to four centimeters long on its ears. Scientists assume that the brushes act as a kind of antenna to determine the direction of the wind.