Joelle is 11 years old and lives in Michigan in the woods near a lake. She goes to Forest Park School. She lives with her mom, Teresa, and dad, Bruce. Her older brother, Jude (21), and older sister, Rachel (22), live in lower Michigan. Joelle's pets include chickens and a goldfish. She enjoys skiing, skating, biking, swimming, and taking pictures. Her favorite music is pop. Joelle plays the piano and flute. She plans to graduate from high school and go to college at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Her favorite school subject is history.

Physical Description: The fur of lynx is gray-brown. In the late spring their fur turns red-brown. The lynx's tail is 10.2 cm (4 inches). Their fore print's length is 8.9-11 cm (3.5-4.5 inches). The width of the fore print is 8.9-12 cm (3.5-4.8 inches).A lynx's straddle is 15-23 cm(6-9 inches). Their stride measures 30-71 cm(12-28 inches). This cat's length is 74-91 cm (29-36 inches) and its weight is 15-30 lbs (6.8-14 kg). One feature that makes the lynx distinctive is their feet. Their feet are big and furry with wide-spread toes. All of this together makes their feet act as snowshoes, allowing them to walk on top of the snow and making conditions for chasing and hunting snowshoe hare (a favorite prey) ideal. Some other distinctive features of the lynx are ear tufts, a ruff of fur around the face, thick fur, and long legs, all of which help the lynx survive the cold temperatures and deep snow of the north.

Diet: Lynx are carnivores. And their long legs and large snowshoe-like feet make them good hunters. Their main prey is snowshoe hare, but they eat also birds and rodents.

Habitat: The lynx's habitat is mostly old conifer forests. These forests are best for the lynx when ferns, rotted logs, sticks, brush, and thick cover are scattered around on the forest floor. Swamps of cedar or hemlock and fir woods both also make nice habitats for this cat. Obviously the lynx would prefer habitats that snowshoe hare inhabit as well.

Behavior: Lynx are good climbers, but since they prefer snowshoe hare, they mostly hunt on ground. This cat is a mixture of crepuscular and nocturnal. Though a lynx has a poor sense of smell, they hear well and their eyes are very well adapted to hunting with little or no light. The lynx also have good depth perception. The lynx is a solitary cat. They will make dens in hollow logs, sheltered roots, and other protected areas. In captivity, these cats live 15-18 years. Lynxes range broadly, up to 50 miles (80 km) or more. They mate January-February and their breeding range is around 5 miles (8 km). Lynx's young are born during March-April. When first born they have blue eyes, but within 2 months their eyes turn yellow like their mothers. The ordinary number of babies is 2, but 1-4 can be born in a litter. The lynx gestation period is approximately 62 days.

(back to kid list 99)