Reproductive Maturation in the Male Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx): A Study on 55 Reproductive Organs Collected from Carcasses During 2002-2005

Data on reproductive physiology from the Eu rasian lynx (Lynx lynx) are still scarce. The lynx is protected under Swedish hunting legislation. All lynx that are found dead or that are culled at hunting are to be sent to the Swedish National Veterinary Institute. In this study, we examined reproductive organs from 55 male lynx collected during the years 2002-2005. Age, body weight, testicular weight and volume, production of spermatozoa, and sperm viability were evaluated. The majority of the animals (39) had been killed in February and March, which is during the hunting season. The ages varied between 6 months and 17 years, body weight between 3.6 and 25.5 kg, and mean testes weight between 0.16 and 3.16 g. The gonadosomatic index was low compared with other species (approximately 0.02% in mature males). Mean testes weight differed significantly between males