Coyotes kill woman on hike in Canadian park

[Malthus]

It was scheming on ways to kill you.

Being killed by a coyote is weird enough. Being killed by a Lynx wold be just plain insulting. 

I dunno - I'd be more afraid of a lynx than I would a coyote I think.

Lynx are small, secretive and solitary. The average weight of a full grown Canadian Lynx is - a whopping 24 pounds. There are house-cats that size.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_lynx

Coyotes are a lot larger, ranging up to 45 pounds, and typically hunt in pairs or family groups.   

[DisturbedPervert]

I'd rather be in a fight with a coyote than a lynx

[viper37]

How bizzare. When was the last time that wolves attacked a person, let alone a coyote?

not that often, because they have been pushed out of the areas where humans mostly inhabit.  And since they're not scavengers like the coyotes, they don't do well near cities.

[viper37]

I thought that was an old world thing. I don't remember ever reading of an unprovoked wolf attack in North America.

Nowadays, you'd have to look toward Alaska or Yukon to find such attacks.  It's unlikely to happen in downtown L.A.

[viper37]

Beautiful animal.

From inside a moving car, yes, absolutely.  Face to face, I hear it's a savage animal.

Oh, Malthus, 24 pounds of fat is not the same thing as 24 pounds of muscle.

I mean, would you rather be attacked by Mike Tyson or some 300lbs burger junkie?  

[Malthus]

I'd rather be in a fight with a coyote than a lynx

Never heard of a canadian lynx attacking anyone.

Coyote attacks are merely really, really rare. Lynx attacks are pretty well non-existant.

The reason for this is: the lynx is really, really small compared to a human. It isn't all that much larger than a big cat. 

[Malthus]

Beautiful animal.

From inside a moving car, yes, absolutely.  Face to face, I hear it's a savage animal.

Oh, Malthus, 24 pounds of fat is not the same thing as 24 pounds of muscle.

I mean, would you rather be attacked by Mike Tyson or some 300lbs burger junkie?  

Agreed a 24 pound cat is a fatty. But still - on average, a lynx is only about twice the size of a cat in good condition.

People, this is not a tiger. 

[Berkut]

Beautiful animal.

From inside a moving car, yes, absolutely.  Face to face, I hear it's a savage animal.

Oh, Malthus, 24 pounds of fat is not the same thing as 24 pounds of muscle.

I mean, would you rather be attacked by Mike Tyson or some 300lbs burger junkie?  

Agreed a 24 pound cat is a fatty. But still - on average, a lynx is only about twice the size of a cat in good condition.

People, this is not a tiger. 

A lynx is probably incapable of killing a human being - they don't have the teeth necessary to inflict a fatal wound, unless they managed to fasten on to your neck or something.

A lynx...seriously people. It is a big cat. I don't think I would enjoy a rabid one caoming at me or something, lots of sharp claws and teeth, but they are hardly going to really hurt you beyond some nasty scratches.

[PDH]

I was thinking I wouldn't be scared of a wolverine, but then I remembered they can throw a grenade through the roof hatch of an apc.

[Barrister]

Lynx are small, secretive and solitary. The average weight of a full grown Canadian Lynx is - a whopping 24 pounds. There are house-cats that size.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_lynx

Coyotes are a lot larger, ranging up to 45 pounds, and typically hunt in pairs or family groups.

I agree that, as unlikely as either would be, a coyote is probably more likely to attack a human than a lynx.  After all I've seen lots of coyotes, and my observation of a lynx last week as noteable because it's the first time I've ever seen a lynx for more than a split second, despite their abundance in the wild.

And being attacked by a pack would be more dangerous than a solitary animal.

Nevertheless, if you are going to be attacked by a solitary animal, I would rather it be a coyote than a lynx.  A lynx, if cornered, can be damn mean, plus you have to worry about those claws. 

[Barrister]

A lynx is probably incapable of killing a human being - they don't have the teeth necessary to inflict a fatal wound, unless they managed to fasten on to your neck or something.

A lynx...seriously people. It is a big cat. I don't think I would enjoy a rabid one caoming at me or something, lots of sharp claws and teeth, but they are hardly going to really hurt you beyond some nasty scratches.

While I agree it's no tiger, you'd be wrong to dismiss it as a "big cat".  It's significantly larger than a house cat.  It's about the size of a medium-sized dog, and from what I've seen is about the same size as a coyote.

Malthus' link says they're capable of taking down a deer.  A deer is about the same size as a human, or even larger, so them taking down a human would be possible.

[DisturbedPervert]

Lynx on average is 24 pounds.  Coyotes range from 15 to 45.  They're not that much bigger.  I don't think either could kill me, but if I had to face one I'd rather it be the coyote than the twirling mass of fur and razor blades.

[Berkut]

A lynx is probably incapable of killing a human being - they don't have the teeth necessary to inflict a fatal wound, unless they managed to fasten on to your neck or something.

A lynx...seriously people. It is a big cat. I don't think I would enjoy a rabid one caoming at me or something, lots of sharp claws and teeth, but they are hardly going to really hurt you beyond some nasty scratches.

While I agree it's no tiger, you'd be wrong to dismiss it as a "big cat".  It's significantly larger than a house cat.  It's about the size of a medium-sized dog, and from what I've seen is about the same size as a coyote.

Malthus' link says they're capable of taking down a deer.  A deer is about the same size as a human, or even larger, so them taking down a human would be possible.

Malthus' link says they typically hunt rabbits, but have been known to hunt deer. I doubt a 24 lb cat can kill a deer though - probably some examples of them getting one that is already injured, or a fawn or something.

There is no way a lynx is going to kill a healthy human adult. How could it? Scratch it to death?

[Malthus]

Lynx are small, secretive and solitary. The average weight of a full grown Canadian Lynx is - a whopping 24 pounds. There are house-cats that size.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_lynx

Coyotes are a lot larger, ranging up to 45 pounds, and typically hunt in pairs or family groups.

I agree that, as unlikely as either would be, a coyote is probably more likely to attack a human than a lynx.  After all I've seen lots of coyotes, and my observation of a lynx last week as noteable because it's the first time I've ever seen a lynx for more than a split second, despite their abundance in the wild.

And being attacked by a pack would be more dangerous than a solitary animal.

Nevertheless, if you are going to be attacked by a solitary animal, I would rather it be a coyote than a lynx.  A lynx, if cornered, can be damn mean, plus you have to worry about those claws.

I disagree. One kick and it's done. You may get a lot of nasty scratches, but a lynx simply isn't equipped to kill you unless you are disabled in some way. You, on the other hand, could easily stomp a lynx to death if it was dumb enough to get close to scratch or bite, assuming it stuck around.

The lynx certainly knows that - their invariable habit on seeing a person is, as you know, to run as fast as possible in the other direction.

Not to say lynx aren't dangerous if trapped and *forced* to fight - grabbing a wildcat isn't exactly safe.

But they are not the stuff of nightmares, walking through the woods. If I see a bear, I get afraid - I back away slowly. If I see a coyote, I'm wary. If I see a lynx, I'm just happy - because they are so rarely seen. The thought I'd be *frightened* of one never crossed my mind. 

[Berkut]

Lynx on average is 24 pounds.  Coyotes range from 15 to 45.  They're not that much bigger.  I don't think either could kill me, but if I had to face one I'd rather it be the coyote than the twirling mass of fur and razor blades.

If by "not much larger" you mean nearly twice the size, I guess so. After all, the link on coyotes said they can be as large as over 60lbs. That is wolf size.