An Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), one of the world’s most endangered cat species.

The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is a carnivorous mammal that was once common on the Iberian Peninsula, where its preferred habitat is scrub vegetation and Mediterranean woodland. The species declined dramatically during the 20th century, and despite efforts to conserve the species, only two isolated populations are known to exist. Thus, it is among the world’s most endangered cats. Ecological modeling may be very useful in situations where the ecological information needed to plan for the recovery and conservation of rare species is lacking. Efforts to model the habitat selection and conservation requirements of the Iberian lynx have included use of molecular detection techniques to identify lynx scat samples. This photograph originally appeared on the cover of Ecological Applications (16:3) in June of 2006.