"Lynx flourish in large boreal or boreal/mixed hardwood forests that feature both mature woodlands as well as regenerating forest stands with significant tangles of horizontal and vertical plant life................The latter topography is a favored habitat of the Lynx favorite meal, the snowshoe hare and the former habitat, where female lynx raise their young,,,,,,,,,,It should be noted that squirrels can become alternative prey for Lynx in times of low density hare populations............., With their snowshoe-like wide paws, regions that support deep snow (106 inches annually) are another critical habitat criteria for optimum, long-term Lynx survival.............While Coyotes and Bobcats are sympatric carnivores in many regions where Lynx exist, a recent 12 year study revealed that Lynx roam the deep snow without problems, while coyotes travel more in packs along trails and road systems, and are more likely to attack larger prey, such as deer........Bobcats with their narrow paws, also thrive best where snow accumulations are much less severe..............It is thought that during the Little Ice Age(roughly AD1350-1850), Lynx thrived all the way south through the Applachian, Rocky and Cascade mountain spines..............Today, with warming temps and dimished habitat, Maine(and some northern Vermont and New Hampshire "cats") is the eastern extent of Lynx range in the east with some Great Lakes populations and portions of the Rocky Mountain West alive with this handsome carnivore

https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=http://townline.org/canada-lynx-surviving-in-maine/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoUMTE2MzA4Njk0MTk1NDgwNDQ0NDgyGjFmYmFjNDZmYmZlMjdjMzg6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNEqzeOO2phhRbdrcuO-EgX2bO6hpw

Canada lynx surviving in Maine

December 14, 2016
by Roland D. Hallee

Recently, two Canada lynx were found dead in northern Maine, spawning an investigation into why, and who, killed the predatory cat.

The Canada lynx, Lynx canadensis, was listed as threatened on March 24, 2004, by the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife.

historical and current lynx range in North America

note in green that snowshoe hare at one time penetrated
down through the Appalachian spine, Rocky mtns and
Pacific spine

Canada lynx are medium-sized cats, generally 30-35 inches long and weighing 18-23 pounds. They have large feet adapted to walking on snow, long legs, tufts on the ears, and black-tipped tails. They are highly adapted for hunting snowshoe hare, the primary prey, in the snows of the boreal forest

Lynx in the contiguous United States are at the southern margins of a widely-distributed range across Canada and Alaska. The center of the North American range is in north-central Canada. Lynx are found in coniferous forests that have cold, snowy winters and provide a prey base of snowshoe hare. Lynx, primarily found in northern Maine, prey almost exclusively on snowshoe hare, so the fate of both species are linked.

Lynx can only flourish in a large boreal forest that contains appropriate forest types, snow depths and high snowshoe hare densities. In the Northeast, lynx were most likely to be in areas that support deep snow (106 inches annually), associated with regenerating boreal forest landscapes.

Lynx are highly mobile and have a propensity to travel long distances, particularly when prey becomes scarce.

Some believe both lynx and coyotes would compete for the same food, but during a recent 12-year study, it was found that is not the case. Lynx roam the deep snow without problems, while coyotes travel more in packs along trails and road systems, and are more likely to attack larger prey, such as deer.

The historic and current range of the lynx in the contiguous United States is within the southern extensions of the for­ests of the Northeast, Great Lakes, Rocky Mountains and Cas­cade Mount­ains

The lynx is listed in 14 states that support the environment needed to sustain the animal. Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont are three of them.

The environment in Maine is perfect to support Canada lynx populations. Harsh winters, deep snow, dense evergreen forests and sub-zero temperatures are exactly what the lynx likes. But, due to extensive hunting for its pelts in the 1960s, the cat nearly disappeared from Maine. Only a new law enacted in 1967, has protected it from hunting and trapping.

According to Jennifer Vashon, in charge of Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife lynx program, it is believed the lynx population in Maine is at a historic high. More than 1,000 adult lynx are believed to be inhabiting the Maine forests. Even though it doesn’t sound like very many, compared to other fur bearing animals in the state, the lynx is actually living at the edge of its range.

Recently, a friend of mine who keeps farm animals in Richmond, reported sighting a lynx that was checking out his chicken coop.

Although the lynx was placed on the federal threatened species list, it is only listed as a species of special concern in the state of Maine.

Legal trapping, snaring, and hunting for bobcat, coyote, wolverine, and other fur-bearers create a potential for incidental capture of lynx. Lynx persist throughout their range despite the incidental catch that presumably has occurred throughout the past, probably at higher levels than presently.

Even though the animal rights group won a ruling about the state taking steps to prevent the occasional accidental trappings, they were not successful in their request for temporary suspension of some trapping where lynx are present in northern Maine.

Subsequently, inadvertent trappings of Canada lynx occur from time to time.