Lynx

f lynx
Difficulty	7
Attacks	Claw 1d4 physical, claw 1d4 physical, bite 1d10 physical

f lynx
Difficulty	7
Attacks	Claw 1d4 physical, claw 1d4 physical, bite 1d10 physical
Base level	5
Base experience	59
Speed	15
Base AC	6
Base MR	0
Alignment	0 (neutral)
Frequency (by normal means)	1 (Very rare)
Genocidable	Yes
Weight	600
Nutritional value	300
Size	Large
Resistances	None
Resistances conveyed	None
A lynx: has no hands. is an animal. is carnivorous. is normally generated hostile. can be seen through infravision.
Reference	monst.c#line363

A lynx, f, is a type of monster that appears in NetHack. It is a large, quadrupedal feline that is carnivorous and can be seen via infravision like all felines.

A lynx has two claw attacks and a bite attack.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that the information below is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate it.

Lynxes have infravision.

Generation

Randomly generated lynxes are always created hostile.

Strategy

Lynxes are slightly stronger than jaguars and also possess 15 speed, making them hazardous for a hero in the early game that has a lower level and/or poor AC.

History

The lynx first appears in SLASH 6, and makes its vanilla NetHack debut in NetHack 3.3.0.

Origin

A lynx (plural "lynx" or "lynxes") is any of the four extant species of medium-sized wild cat within the genus Lynx: the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and bobcat. Lynx have a short tail, characteristic tufts of black hair on the tips of their ears, large and padded paws for walking on snow, and long whiskers on the face; under their neck, they have a ruff with black bars resembling a bow tie, although this is often not visible. The fur of a lynx varies in color 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.

Lynx are usually solitary, although a small group may travel and hunt together occasionally. Their habitat is spread across much of the northern hemisphere: the Eurasian lynx in particular ranges from central and northern Europe to Northern Pakistan and India; the endangered Iberian lynx lives in southern Spain and some parts of Portugal; the bobcat is common throughout southern Canada, the continental United States and northern Mexico; and the Canada lynx is present mainly in the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska.

The lynx has a prominent role in Greek, Norse, and North American mythology, and is known in some Indigenous American traditions as a 'keeper of secrets'. It is also believed to have supernatural eyesight, capable of seeing even through solid objects, and often symbolizes the unraveling of hidden truths and the psychic power of clairvoyance.

Variants

UnNetHack

In UnNetHack, lynxes appear among the random f that are part of the second quest monster class for Cavepeople and make up ⁶⁄₁₇₅ of the monsters randomly generated on the Caveman quest.

SlashTHEM

In SlashTHEM, Gladiators can obtain gold by killing lynxes.

Lynxes appear among the random f that are part of the first quest monster class for Zookeepers and make up ²⁴⁄₁₇₅ (14%) of the monsters randomly generated on the Zookeeper quest.

Hack'EM

In Hack'EM, lynxes can jump after their targets.

Encyclopedia entry

To dream of seeing a lynx, enemies are undermining your
business and disrupting your home affairs. For a woman,
this dream indicates that she has a wary woman rivaling her
in the affections of her lover. If she kills the lynx, she
will overcome her rival.
[ 10,000 Dreams Interpreted, by Gustavus Hindman Miller ]