Threatened Lynx Are Understudied by Scientists: Report

Lynx and other big cats belonging to the family Felidae are currently threatened with habitat loss and fragmentation, and yet these animals are largely understudied by scientists, hindering any possible conservation efforts, according to a new report.

Almost half of the 36 species of felids that live in the wild in the world are at risk, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) - especially the Iberian lynx, the most threatened out of all these felines. The future of this critically endangered species grows more and more bleak as its native habitat continues to shrink and be broken up by human activity. Meanwhile, the new study has only been able to find 162 scientific articles regarding this threat towards lynx.

To assess the situation of the Iberian lynx and other felid species that live in the wild on our planet, a team of Brazilian and Spanish scientists has reviewed the scientific literature that exists on loss and fragmentation of their habitats - the main threat to these mammals.

"These figures clearly indicate that in general there is a lack of knowledge on this topic, which especially affects felid conservation. Without proper scientific knowledge it is hard to set up effective conservation strategies," Francisco Palomares, one of the researchers, said in a statement.

So why aren't scientists more concerned that habitat loss threatens the world's felids? According to the new study, it's not that they aren't concerned, but rather it's due to "the lack of both financing for research and communication between managers and researchers," said Palomares.

To their credit, North America and Europe generate the greatest amount of research on the effect of habitat loss on felids, the researchers note. However, due to the lack of research in countries with less economic resources, the real effect of this threat is still unknown for 16 species of felids. This includes the Andean mountain cat (Leopardus jacobita), the Bornean bay cat (Pardofelis badia), the flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps), and the fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus). Unfortunately, despite the fact that these species are on the verge of extinction, they have been largely understudied, which limits the establishment of effective conservation strategies. (Scroll to read on...)