“We discovered the skeleton in a dry riverbed near the Chon-Mazar gorge. Mostly, it was just parts — the spine and skull. The jaws were lined with sharp teeth and resembled those of a ‘Tyrannosaurus,’ only in a smaller size. We became curious about who this could be?” — shared the impressions of the tourists.
“In fact, the skull and other parts of the skeleton belong to a lynx,” — explained the expert.
The lynx is a large, long-legged cat with tufts on its ears and a short tail. Its length is about one meter.
This predator actively inhabits the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Since the complete ban on lynx hunting, after the Semirechensk subspecies was included in the Red Book, the population of these animals has significantly increased.
The lynx hunts even in high altitudes, preferring marmots and snowcocks, as well as hares, chukars, various rodents, and birds. In some regions, it has even displaced the roe deer. This case illustrates the complexity of determining the relationship to a particular animal species. Although the lynx is a rare species in need of protection, as an active predator, it sometimes causes problems in hunting management. In our mountains, its population has been relatively stable compared to other Red Book species. Previously, hunters rarely hunted lynx, but now it is completely prohibited. However, in some places, the lynx population could be adjusted. Yet, what may be considered “many” by local standards could turn out to be “few” on a national level,” commented ecologist Alexander Sosnovsky on the situation.
