The preferred food of a Canada lynx is:

• A. Caribou
• B. Snowshoe hare
• C. Mice
• D. Fish

Answer: (B)

Canada lynx rely on snowshoe hare as their main prey because hares provide the most energy for the effort, and they are reliably abundant in the boreal forests where lynx live. The lynx is well adapted for winter hunting, with large paws that act like snowshoes and help it stalk and ambush hares that move under deep snow, making this prey type the most efficient for sustaining the predator through harsh seasons. While lynx will kill other small mammals when available, those prey items typically don’t offer the same energy return per hunt as a snowshoe hare, and larger animals like caribou are less efficient targets for a lynx, despite occasional opportunistic catches. Fish are not a common or primary food source for this forest-dwelling species. All of this together explains why snowshoe hare is the preferred food.