The Turkestan lynx (''Lynx lynx isabellinus'') is a subspecies of

Eurasian lynx The Eurasian lynx (''Lynx lynx'') is a medium-sized wild cat widely distributed from Northern, Central and Eastern Europe to Central Asia and Siberia, the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas. It inhabits temperate and boreal forests up to an eleva ...

native to

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

. It is also known as Central Asian lynx, Tibetan lynx or Himalayan lynx. It is widespread from Central Asia, continental

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

to China and

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

. About 27,000 mature individuals have been estimated to occur in China as of 2013.

Taxonomy

''Felis isabellina'' was the scientific name proposed by Edward Blyth in 1847 for a lynx skin from Tibet. ''Lynx lynx wardi'' was proposed by

Richard Lydekker Richard Lydekker (; 25 July 1849 – 16 April 1915) was an English naturalist, geologist and writer of numerous books on natural history. Biography Richard Lydekker was born at Tavistock Square in London. His father was Gerard Wolfe Lydekker, ...

in 1904. However, most authors considered it as synonymous to ''Lynx lynx isabelinus''. Further investigations are in need in order to declare it whether as a separate subspecies or not. As of today, ''wardi'' is sometimes regarded as a synonym to ''isabellinus''.

Distribution and habitat

The Turkestan lynx occurs in

from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan to Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan and China. It lives mostly in open

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (se ...

s, steppe and rocky hills. In the Indian

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...

, individuals were sighted at an elevation of in

Hemis National Park Hemis National Park is a high-elevation national park in Ladakh, India. Globally famous for its snow leopards, it is believed to have the highest density of them in any protected area in the world. It is the only national park in India that is n ...

and at on the

Changtang The Changtang (alternatively spelled Changthang or Qangtang) is a part of the high altitude Tibetan Plateau in western and northern Tibet extending into the southern edges of Xinjiang as well as southeastern Ladakh, India, with vast highlands and g ...

Plateau in

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu ...

Conservation

The Turkestan lynx has been protected under Schedule I of India's

Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted for protection of plants and animal species. Before 1972, India had only five designated national parks. Among other reforms, the Act established scheduled pr ...

. In Afghanistan, it is considered threatened. It is listed as

Near Threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify f ...

on Pakistan's and

's national Red Lists. It is listed as

Endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

in China, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and as Vulnerable in Nepal and Uzbekistan.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q27627917 Eurasian lynx subspecies Mammals described in 1915 Taxa named by Edward Blyth Felids of India Mammals of Central Asia Fauna of South Asia Fauna of Tibet Fauna of the Himalayas Mammals of Afghanistan Mammals of Bhutan Mammals of China Mammals of India Mammals of Mongolia Mammals of Nepal Mammals of Pakistan Mammals of Russia Fauna of Jammu and Kashmir