Research overview: phylogeny and biogeography of the lynx lineage

The lynx lineage comprises four species: the Eurasian lynx, the Iberian lynx, the Canada lynx, and the bobcat. This overview surveys the molecular phylogeny of the group, the timing of their divergence, and the biogeographic history of dispersal between Eurasia and North America that produced the New World bobcat and Canada lynx. It discusses the genetic distinctiveness of the critically endangered Iberian lynx, hybridization where bobcat and Canada lynx ranges meet, and how the lynx lineage illustrates intercontinental felid dispersal. The survey connects lineage-level phylogeny to the conservation genetics of its individually threatened members. It also highlights the adaptations to cold northern environments shared across the lynxes, from dense fur to large feet, and how these traits and their genetic basis relate to the group's boreal and montane distribution.