1 peso 2004 Cuba coin – Iberian lynx
€9.00
1 peso uncirculated coin
Copper–nickel
quality uncirculated;
diameter 38.00 mm
weight 26.0 g.
Mintage pcs
Date of issue: 2004
Description
Fauna Iberica – Iberian lynx (Lince iberico)
The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is an endangered species of felid living mainly in the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. They are categorized as endangered by many institutions, including the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The Iberian lynx is a rabbit specialist with a low ability to adapt its diet. A sharp drop in the population of its main food source, a result of two diseases, contributed to the feline’s decline. The lynx was also affected by the loss of scrubland, its main habitat, to human development, including changes in land use and the construction of roads and dams.
According to the conservation group SOS Lynx, if the Iberian lynx died out, it would be the first feline species to become extinct since prehistoric times. Captive breeding and reintroduction programs have boosted their numbers. As of 2013, Andalusia has a population of 309 living in the wild. As an attempt to save this species from extinction, an EU LIFE Nature project is underway that includes habitat preservation, lynx population monitoring, and rabbit population management.
Formerly considered a subspecies of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), the Iberian lynx is now classified as a separate species. Both species occurred together in central Europe in the Pleistocene epoch, being separated by habitat choice. The Iberian lynx is believed to have evolved from Lynx issiodorensis.
