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43-633: The name of the massif probably comes from the Croatian word for the lynx , ris . Another interpretation suggests that it comes from the local word risje , which is a name for a type of grass. The first recorded scientific visit was made in 1825 by the Budapest botanist Joseph Standler . Many other botanists visited subsequently. The most prominent 19th century explorer of Risnjak was the botanist Josip Schlosser who wrote numerous publications about Risnjak and its flora . The first organized mountaineering visit

86-401: A bow tie , although this is often not visible. Body colour varies from medium brown to goldish to beige-white, and is occasionally marked with dark brown spots, especially on the limbs. All species of lynx have white fur on their chests, bellies and on the insides of their legs, fur which is an extension of the chest and belly fur. The lynx's colouring, fur length and paw size vary according to

129-556: A thick coat and broad paws, and is twice as effective as the bobcat at supporting its weight on the snow. The Canada lynx feeds almost exclusively on snowshoe hares ; its population is highly dependent on the population of this prey animal. It will also hunt medium-sized mammals and birds if hare numbers fall. The Iberian lynx ( Lynx pardinus ) is a vulnerable species native to the Iberian Peninsula in Southern Europe . It

172-412: A wide range of animals from white-tailed deer , reindeer , roe deer , small red deer , and chamois , to smaller, more usual prey: snowshoe hares , fish , foxes , sheep , squirrels , mice , turkeys and other birds , and goats . It also eats ptarmigans , voles , and grouse . The lynx inhabits high altitude forests with dense cover of shrubs, reeds, and tall grass. Although this cat hunts on

215-756: Is an Iberian lynx reproduction center outside Silves in the Algarve in southern Portugal. The two Lynx species in North America, Canada lynx and bobcats , are both found in the temperate zone . While the bobcat is common throughout southern Canada, the continental United States and northern Mexico, the Canada lynx is present mainly in boreal forests of Canada and Alaska. Underbrush In forestry and ecology , understory ( American English ), or understorey ( Commonwealth English ), also known as underbrush or undergrowth , includes plant life growing beneath

258-479: Is an adaptable predator that inhabits deciduous , coniferous , or mixed woodlands, but unlike other Lynx , does not depend exclusively on the deep forest, and ranges from swamps and desert lands to mountainous and agricultural areas, its spotted coat serving as camouflage. The population of the bobcat depends primarily on the population of its prey. Nonetheless, the bobcat is often killed by larger predators such as coyotes . The bobcat resembles other species of

301-472: Is an opportunistic predator much like its cousins. The Canada lynx ( Lynx canadensis ), or Canadian lynx, is a North American felid that ranges in forest and tundra regions across Canada and into Alaska , as well as some parts of the northern United States . Historically, the Canadian lynx ranged from Alaska across Canada and into many of the northern U.S. states . In the eastern states, it resided in

344-575: Is characterised by some especially interesting flora. The peak is home to a variety of rare and sometimes endangered species such as the edelweiss , black vanilla orchid , mountain milfoil , alpine yellow violet , livelong saxifrage , alpine snowbell , mountain avens and hairy alpine rose . The fauna is just as diverse as the flora. The park is home to mammals such as the brown bear , red deer , roe deer , chamois , wild boar , wolf , pine marten , stone marten , badger , weasel , squirrel and dormouse . The most important animal used to be

387-515: Is now northern China during the Early Pleistocene. Of the four lynx species, the Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx ) is the largest in size. It is native to European, Central Asian , and Siberian forests. While its conservation status has been classified as " least concern ", populations of Eurasian lynx have been reduced or extirpated from much of Europe, where it is now being reintroduced. During

430-416: Is the site of an abandoned Yugoslav People's Army complex. Since the army left in 1991 the whole place was left to rot, giving it something of the appearance of a ghost town . There have been proposals to renovate the complex to create a mountain refuge, but these have not come to fruition. This path was created by the park administration 1993. It is a circular walk 4.5 km long, beginning and ending at

473-461: The Pleistocene epoch, being separated by habitat choice. The Iberian lynx is believed to have evolved from Lynx issiodorensis . The bobcat ( Lynx rufus ) is a North American wild cat. With 13 recognized subspecies, the bobcat is common throughout southern Canada, the continental United States , and northern Mexico. Like the Eurasian lynx, its conservation status is "least concern." The bobcat

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516-524: The forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but above the forest floor . Only a small percentage of light penetrates the canopy so understory vegetation is generally shade-tolerant . The understory typically consists of trees stunted through lack of light, other small trees with low light requirements, saplings, shrubs, vines and undergrowth. Small trees such as holly and dogwood are understory specialists. In temperate deciduous forests , many understory plants start into growth earlier in

559-637: The lynx , after which Risnjak got its name. The lynx was exterminated during the 19th century but returned to Risnjak three decades ago, after a successful reintroduction project in neighboring Slovenia. There are also numerous bird species living in Risnjak: capercaillie , hazel grouse , goshawk , eagle owl and several woodpecker species, amongst others. A number of amphibians and reptiles, as well as various insect and snail taxa can also be found. Due to its closeness to major road connections (motorway Zagreb - Rijeka) and vicinity of major tourist centers on

602-516: The subalpine beech forest with lettuce grass, which grows in areas of the park at heights of between 1200 m and 1400 m above sea level. The upper border of this ecotone is marked by impenetrable underbrush in form of shrubs creating a unique ecosystem, which has been termed the Fagelatum croaticum subalpinum fruticosu . Above the subalpine beech forest there grows the last, highest forest ecosystem - crooked shrubby pine . The rocky peak of Risnjak

645-643: The 1970s have been successful in various regions of Switzerland . Since the 1990s, there have been numerous efforts to resettle the Eurasian lynx in Germany , and since 2000, a small population can now be found in the Harz mountains near Bad Lauterberg . The lynx is found in the Białowieża Forest in northeastern Poland , and in the northern and western parts of China, particularly the Tibetan Plateau . In Romania ,

688-476: The Croatian parliament voted to enlarge of the park to its current size. The areas of Snježnik and Kupa source were added to the park but also for the first time inhabited areas of villages of Razloge, Razloški okrug and Krašćevica. The park is entirely in Primorje-Gorski Kotar county , and is divided between the city of Čabar , the city of Delnice and the municipality of Jelenje . The highest point of

731-514: The Greek word lynx ( λύγξ ), derived from the Indo-European root *leuk- ( ' light ' , ' brightness ' ), in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes . Lynx have a short tail, characteristic tufts of black hair on the tips of their ears, large, padded paws for walking on snow and long whiskers on the face. Under their neck, they have a ruff, which has black bars resembling

774-488: The Slovenian Alps and the Croatian regions of Gorski Kotar and Velebit, including Croatia's Plitvice Lakes National Park and Risnjak National Park . In both countries, the lynx is listed as an endangered species and protected by law. The lynx was distributed throughout Japan during Jōmon period ; with no paleontological evidence thereafter suggesting extinction at that time. Several lynx resettlement projects begun in

817-405: The canopy, and the shaded ground does not vary in temperature as much as open ground. This causes a proliferation of ferns , mosses , and fungi and encourages nutrient recycling , which provides favorable habitats for many animals and plants. The understory is the underlying layer of vegetation in a forest or wooded area, especially the trees and shrubs growing between the forest canopy and

860-624: The climate in their range. In the Southwestern United States , they are short-haired, dark in colour and their paws are smaller and less padded. In colder northern climates lynx have thicker and lighter fur as well as larger and more padded paws that are well-adapted to snow. The smallest species are the bobcat and the Canada lynx , while the largest is the Eurasian lynx , with considerable variations within species. The four living species of

903-573: The coastline it is most visited National Park in Croatia. Veliki Risnjak is the highest peak in the park and the second in Gorski kotar next to Bjelolasica. On its southern slope is located the mountain lodge called Šloserov dom, built by Josip Schlosser. The peak can be reached only on foot, from Crni Lug (3 h) or from an unpaved road beginning in Gornje Jelenje (1h). Snježnik is the second highest peak in

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946-538: The course of the year. As a rule forest understories also experience higher humidity than exposed areas. The forest canopy reduces solar radiation, so the ground does not heat up or cool down as rapidly as open ground. Consequently, the understory dries out more slowly than more exposed areas do. The greater humidity encourages epiphytes such as ferns and mosses, and allows fungi and other decomposers to flourish. This drives nutrient cycling , and provides favorable microclimates for many animals and plants , such as

989-425: The end of the leafless season, understory plants take advantage of the shelter of the still leafless canopy plants to "leaf out" before the canopy trees do. This is important because it provides the understory plants with a window in which to photosynthesize without the canopy shading them. This brief period (usually 1–2 weeks) is often a crucial period in which the plant can maintain a net positive carbon balance over

1032-399: The forest floor. Plants in the understory comprise an assortment of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees together with specialist understory shrubs and herbs. Young canopy trees often persist in the understory for decades as suppressed juveniles until an opening in the forest overstory permits their growth into the canopy. In contrast understory shrubs complete their life cycles in

1075-483: The genus Lynx are believed to have evolved from Lynx issiodorensis , which lived in Europe and Africa during the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene . The Pliocene felid Felis rexroadensis from North America has been proposed as an even earlier ancestor; however, this was larger than any living species, and is not currently classified as a true lynx. Another extinct species of Lynx , L. shansiensis , inhabited what

1118-425: The genus Lynx , but is on average the smallest of the four. Its coat is variable, though generally tan to grayish brown, with black streaks on the body and dark bars on the forelegs and tail. The ears are black-tipped and pointed, with short, black tufts. There is generally an off-white color on the lips, chin, and underparts. Bobcats in the desert regions of the southwest have the lightest-colored coats, while those in

1161-538: The ground, it can climb trees and can swim swiftly, catching fish. The Eurasian lynx ranges from central and northern Europe across Asia up to Northern Pakistan and India . In Iran , they live in Mount Damavand area. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the Eurasian lynx was considered extinct in the wild in Slovenia and Croatia . A resettlement project, begun in 1973, has successfully reintroduced lynx to

1204-471: The limestone is very porous there are few surface flows of water. Although Risnjak is of only a modest altitude, it is nevertheless a very significant climatic and vegetational barrier between coastal and continental parts of Croatia. Adriatic and continental weather patterns collide here and play a significant role in determining the park's climate. It has pleasantly warm summers and an average temperature of up to 22 °C; springs and autumns are rainy, and

1247-563: The mountain range. The lynx population in Finland was 1900–2100 individuals in 2008, and the numbers have been increasing every year since 1992. The lynx population in Finland is estimated currently to be larger than ever before. Lynx in Britain were wiped out in the 17th century, but there have been calls to reintroduce them to curb the numbers of deer . The endangered Iberian lynx lives in southern Spain and formerly in eastern Portugal . There

1290-519: The northern, forested regions have the darkest. The lynx is usually solitary, although a small group of lynx may travel and hunt together occasionally. Mating takes place in the late winter and once a year the female gives birth to between one and four kittens. The gestation time of the lynx is about 70 days. The young stay with the mother for one more winter, a total of around nine months, before moving out to live on their own as young adults. The lynx creates its den in crevices or under ledges. It feeds on

1333-484: The numbers exceed 2,000, the largest population in Europe outside of Russia , although most experts consider the official population numbers to be overestimated. The lynx is more common in northern Europe, especially in Norway , Sweden , Estonia , Finland , and the northern parts of Russia . The Swedish population is estimated to be 1200–1500 individuals, spread all over the country, but more common in middle Sweden and in

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1376-520: The park at 1506 m. Its name comes from the word for snow - snijeg. The mountain should not be confused with Snežnik , a limestone plateau 20 km to the north-west in Slovenia. On its grassy peak is located a mountain lodge called Albaharijev dom. It is about 1.5 hours' walk from the ski resort of Platak ; this has made it the most common place for tour skiing in Croatia. Guslica is a peak about an hour's walk from Snježnik, with an altitude of 1490 m. It

1419-658: The park is Veliki Risnjak (1528 m) and the lowest is the area around the source of the Kupa (313 m). The massif is located on the northern part of the Dinaric Alps , and marks the divide between the Adriatic and Black Sea watersheds . Like most of the Dinaric Alps, the park is dominated by limestone and dolomite rocks and shows major karst features: ponikve, karren on bare rocks, rock falls, swallow holes, caves and so on. Because

1462-724: The shade of the forest canopy. Some smaller tree species, such as dogwood and holly , rarely grow tall and generally are understory trees. The canopy of a tropical forest is typically about 10 m (33 ft) thick, and intercepts around 95% of the sunlight. The understory therefore receives less intense light than plants in the canopy and such light as does penetrate is impoverished in wavelengths of light that are most effective for photosynthesis. Understory plants therefore must be shade tolerant —they must be able to photosynthesize adequately using such light as does reach their leaves. They often are able to use wavelengths that canopy plants cannot. In temperate deciduous forests towards

1505-403: The summer, the Eurasian lynx has a relatively short, reddish or brown coat which is replaced by a much thicker silver-grey to greyish-brown coat during winter. The lynx hunts by stalking and jumping on its prey, helped by the rugged, forested country in which it resides. A favorite prey for the lynx in its woodland habitat is roe deer . It will feed however on whatever animal appears easiest, as it

1548-463: The transition zone in which boreal coniferous forests yielded to deciduous forests. By 2010, after an 11-year effort, it had been successfully reintroduced into Colorado , where it had become extirpated in the 1970s. In 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated the Canada lynx a threatened species in the lower 48 states . The Canada lynx is a good climber and swimmer; it constructs rough shelters under fallen trees or rock ledges. It has

1591-455: The visitor center in Crni Lug. The path passes through areas of different vegetation and through many different karstic features. The river Kupa has its source at the park's lowest point, in an oval pond some 50 m wide. Numerous expeditions have attempted to determine the pond's depth. Results thus far show that the water springs from two separate channels; the narrower channel is 86 m deep while

1634-540: The wider channel is 57 m. The source can be reached by half an hour's walk from the village of Razloge. Lynx A lynx ( / l ɪ ŋ k s / links ; pl. : lynx or lynxes ) is any of the four extant species (the Canada ;lynx , Iberian lynx , Eurasian lynx and the bobcat ) within the medium-sized wild cat genus Lynx . The name originated in Middle English via Latin from

1677-492: The winter is long and snowy. The average year-round temperature at the Risnjak mountain lodge is 2.5 °C with an annual rainfall of 3600 mm, which is amongst the highest in the country, and an average snow depth of between 122 and 448 cm. Areas within the park called ponikvas experience a microclimate where, because of temperature inversions , the lower regions are colder than those at higher altitudes. In ponikvas

1720-783: The winter snow lasts much longer than elsewhere. Although the park occupies only a relatively small area, very diverse types of flora can be found. It marks the point where the coastal and continental vegetation zones meet, as well as combining the Dinaric and Alpine zones. This produces great floral variety across the multiple ecotones found in the park. Most of the park is covered by a mixture of beech and fir trees growing on limestone and dolomite. Numerous variations characterised by local microclimates and types of soil can also be found. Here one can find single trees of sycamore maple , elm , ash , and sometimes some yew . The beech and fir forest gradually gives way to another large forest zone -

1763-472: The year than the canopy trees, to make use of the greater availability of light at that particular time of year. A gap in the canopy caused by the death of a tree stimulates the potential emergent trees into competitive growth as they grow upwards to fill the gap. These trees tend to have straight trunks and few lower branches. At the same time, the bushes, undergrowth, and plant life on the forest floor become denser. The understory experiences greater humidity than

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1806-533: Was mounted by the Rijeka alpine club, and the first mountain refuge in the area was built in 1932. In 1949 botanist Ivo Horvat suggested for the first time that the area around Risnjak should be protected. On his advice, the parliament of the then Socialist Republic of Croatia declared 36.00 km around Risnjak to be a national park. In 1956 the area of the park was reduced to 30.14 km, of which 21.06 km were put under stricter protection. Finally, in 1997,

1849-471: Was the most endangered cat species in the world, but conservation efforts have changed its status from critical to endangered to vulnerable. The loss of the species would have been the first feline extinction since the Smilodon 10,000 years ago. The species used to be classified as a subspecies of the Eurasian lynx, but is now considered a separate species. Both species occurred together in central Europe in

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