Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) has been a paradigm of conservation efforts in Spain for decades. Between 2000 and 2019, its population increased from about 250 to 400 lynx, due to conservation initiatives such as translocation and reintroduction. Most of the studies on this species happened in southern Spain, where the Iberian lynx was considered a trophic super specialist, but there are populations in central Spain as well. Its decline has been attributed to the decline of its main prey species, the European rabbit. Now, research has challenged the traditional vision of the Iberian lynx as a trophic specialist. The lynx has a much wider diet than previously thought.

Within mammals, the study of large predator diets is mostly based on analyzing their scat (fecal matter) for undigested content such as hairs or feathers that hints at what the predator is eating. To do so, the first step is to find the scat and properly identify what species they belong to. In the case of Iberian Lynx, its scat is easily misidentified as belonging to European wildcats and red foxes. Therefore, in this study, genetic methods were necessary to properly identify the scat samples.

Researchers classified the content found in 46 scat samples into four different groups (small mammals, lagomorphs, birds, and ungulates) and calculated the proportion of each of them in the total. They compared these proportions between the central and southern lynx populations, and found that the former is better able to adapt to sub-par ecological conditions. They adopt a more generalist diet when there is an abundant variety of prey and a more specialist diet when there is low prey diversity.

Understanding the variables that determine the presence of a species in a specific habitat is vital to take informed decisions on wildlife management and to implement successful conservation actions. This finding sheds new light into the biology of an endangered and charismatic species of the Iberian fauna that can improve its recovery from the brink of extinction.