Why are these lynxes washing their food?

Camera traps in Spain have captured a behavior never documented before in a wild cat: Iberian lynxes soaking their prey in water before eating it. Over five years, researchers recorded multiple females carrying dead rabbits to water troughs and repeatedly dunking them underwater. Scientists aren’t sure why. The behavior may help lynxes stay hydrated during hot summers, soften prey for cubs, or serve another unknown purpose. The discovery comes from long-term monitoring of the Iberian lynx, a species that has made a remarkable recovery from the brink of extinction and continues to surprise researchers with previously unseen behaviorsThis article was originally published on

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