This Canadian Lynx Is Twice The Size Of A Cat Now Watch His Reaction When A Trainer Goes To Pet Him

this canadian lynx is twice the size of a cat now watch his reaction when a trainer goes to pat him with their ferocious reputation razor-sharp teeth and formidable claws it's sometimes hard to believe that bigger wild cats are related to the humble felines we call pets still such larger cats have a distinctly bigger bite than the domestic variety so when a canadian lynx is owner attempts to stroke him like a pet how do you think you'll react Canadian lynx is can be found throughout the whole of Canada and in some parts of the United States while exclusive to North America they're closely related to the Iberian and Eurasian Lynx both of which are found in Europe closer to home though the species also counts Bobcats as cousins on average Canadian lynx is our 23 inches tall and 35 inches long this makes them about twice the size of your average house cat but because they tend to live solitary lives and make their homes away from human civilization they're known as the great ghosts of the north indeed they tend to reside in densely forested areas where they scout out their dens and hidden nooks and crannies and thanks to their large eyes and distinctive pointy ears Canadian Lynx's are perfectly suited to hunting at night they mainly eat snow hares although they will catch other forms of small mammals when hares are scarce the cat's predators meanwhile are coyotes Cougars and wolves and humans also haunt the animals for their fur there's never been an abundance of Lynx in the United States but they were traditionally found in as many as 25 states however their numbers have dramatically declined due to loss and fragmentation of their habitat indeed things got so bad for the cat that in 2000 the US Fish and Wildlife Service listed the species as threatened in the lower 48 but while it's gotten harder to catch a glimpse of the Canadian lynx of the wild many are available to view at zoos and that's where max comes in yes the infant Lynx was born in a zoo in May 2001 before being released to wildlife educator Bernadette Hoffman Hoffman began working with animals as a zookeeper at Hoosick Falls New York in 2002 when the zoo closed six years later however she took on a part-time job at a Natural History Museum in her free time - she taught wildlife education courses there for little max found himself in perfectly capable hands it max max appeared to have settled in well in his new environment so well it seems that after almost five years in Hoffman's care the Lynx has apparently forgotten that he's a medium-sized Wildcat indeed extraordinary footage posted by the animal educator shows just how much trust exists between the pair the video which was posted to YouTube shows max purring loudly as he's greeted by Hoffman with the promise of a stroke the Lynx lifts himself towards his Handler and gently Bob's his head on her hand then as Hoffman strokes him the cat Spurs get louder and louder just like any domesticated felines after a while the adorable animal sinks to the ground as he relaxes to his fullest he even rests his head on his paws and closes his eyes thoroughly enjoying the pleasurable massage just then Hoffman begins scratching max under his chin which as any cat owner will know cats can't resist surrendering to his master's advancements max rolls on his back and wraps his paws lovingly around Hoffman's arm all the while the felines purr resonates throughout the room it appears from the video that max has a lot more in common with the humble house cat than may have been previously thought in a caption that accompanied the heartwarming video Hoffman explained max links the educational animal ambassador takes a moment to get some good scratchin before he sits down for his meal he was born at a zoo in May 2011 he's not completely domesticated but not wild either Hoffman added he educates the public on the endangered Canada lynx in hopes that people will be driven to conserve our environment and protect our wildlife he is not declawed during the winter he weighs 40 pounds and some are about 34 he has about four inches of fur in this video which makes him look fat I mean fluffy since the video was posted in January 2016 it's been viewed an impressive 700,000 times it's also attracted thousands of comments in fact many of the observations marvel at the similarities between Max and domesticated felines it's just like a giant pussycat so cute commented one YouTube user my cat has the exact same body movement pattern when I pet him a cat really is a cat in all sizes added another it's just a matter of scale in terms of how dangerous they can be otherwise their behavior in most species is pretty much the same as your common house cat one more set but while he may look cute max is still a semi wild animal therefore his behavior isn't always predictable what asked if the cat had ever hurt her or others Hoffman responded max has no contact with anyone except myself so he's not injured anyone I've gotten a black eye and a couple good scratches but no bite marks and none of the injuries were from aggression just stupid accidents still max was a baby when Hoffman acquired him so he would have been easier than most to train in fact videos from his first months in his new home show the Lynx being taught how to walk on a lead more footage features max in his first educational visit and although he appeared nervous at first he soon eased into his new role but when max isn't out teaching youngsters about bigger cats like him he's an Omaha man where is an indoor and an outdoor enclosure according to often the Lynx loves being out in the snow the most it makes him frisky and wild she said he rolls in it licks it and sniffs it normally I wouldn't allow the adrenaline rush but sometimes you just have to give a little but when he evidently loves being on the open max will never be able to live out in the wild like other Canadian Lynx's as he was born in a zoo the cat is probably too domesticated to live amongst others of his kind he also has to take regular medication to fight an ailment his pancreas doesn't function properly and therefore he needs enzymes on his meat daily Hoffman explained so although we probably won't contribute to the population of Canada Lynx's with his own Cubs Max is still doing his part for protection of his species as an animal ambassador Max is helping children better understand the need to secure a safe future for his species education of our next generation is the only hope for the survival of our endangered and threatened animals Hoffman said you