Alaskan Lynx
With a pounce and a hop the speedy lynx chases the bleached white hare through the bushes. Poof! The hare disappears into the shiny white powder. Then the sly lynx picks up the scent of the hare and pounces toward the small hairball. The sharp elongated claws donÕt dig in, and the hareÕs long slender legs launch himself out of the hole and out of danger. The swift cat swings his claws around to hit the fast hare, but he hits the snow right under his back legs. The hare runs right between two willow trees and into a narrow opening which has a bunch of fallen willow trees. The hare has escaped from the lynx this one time, but the lynx will find other food. The lynx is a pale brown to brownish grey with black streaks on its neck, forehead, and on the back. It has a short tail, long tuffed ears, long slender legs, wide feet for control in the snow, and long very soft fur. The lynx will grow to be 30 to 40 inches long, and 24 to 28 inches high from feet to shoulders. They usually weight 15 to 45 pounds. When you see the lynx, at first sight
Trapping lynx is not particularly easy. Trappers use both snares and traps on the lynx. An abundant number of hares means there will be a lot of lynx that year. In the years when lynx are abundant, a good trapper may take a dozen in a month. The fine fur of the lynx is used to make fine coats, collars, coat trimmings, jackets, hats, and muffs. The average cost of a lynx pelt is $125 ( a nice large male coat with good dark colors). ÒEvery year trappers take from $8,000 to $10,000 in money from lynx peltsÓ (Reader 52). When the population of the hares are up the litters of 2 to 4 kittens have a lot better chance to survive in the wilderness with their parents. When food is not abundant the female lynx might not have a litter at all that year or not until the hares have come back. ÒLynx breed during March and April. The gestation period is 60 days longÓ ( Myers 135) . They will have from 1- 4 kittens each year. They usually have dens, where they keep their kittens, in hollow trees or under a pile of brush. The kittens stay with the female until well into the next winter. The kittens donÕt open their eyes until 10 days after birth. They also only nurse for 3 to 4 months. 2. ÒLynx,Ó Alaska Mammals, (December 1981) vol.8, p.52. 1.ÒAlaska,ÓNational Geographic, (May 1994) vol.185,p.89. The lynx ranges from Alaska, all the way across Canada. The lynx are usually found in climax forests and dense undercovers. They are usually found where hares are abundant. If there are no hares in the vicinity, they travel out into the tundra to find food.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Orientation Keown, March April, Jacob Dad, Alaska Range, Alaska Canada, Tanana Valley, Bibliography Bibliography, Mammals December, Tanana-White River, Jon LTD1983, fur lynx, population lynx vary, lynx vary, usually hunt, slender legs, lynx abundant, population lynx, 4 kittens, willow trees, dall sheep, population hares,
Approximate Word count = 1129
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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