Camera traps in Spain have documented Iberian lynxes soaking their prey before consuming it, marking the first recorded instance of this behavior in a wild cat. During a five-year period, researchers recorded multiple females carrying dead rabbits to water troughs and repeatedly submerging them. The observations involved several animals rather than a single female, with the same basic sequence: carrying a rabbit to water, dipping it beneath the surface, and eating it afterward. What appears to be food washing, however, does not yet have a confirmed explanation.
Researchers have several possible explanations for the behavior. Soaking prey could help the lynxes maintain hydration during hot summers, or it might soften the meat for cubs. Alternatively, it could serve a purpose that remains unknown. The repeated dunking is documented, but whether it primarily benefits the adult cats, helps prepare food for their young, or has some other function is unresolved. Neither hydration nor food softening has been established as the reason for the behavior.
The discovery emerged from long-term monitoring of the Iberian lynx, a species that has recovered substantially after approaching extinction. That recovery forms the backdrop to observations of behavior researchers had not previously documented. While the animals' return from the brink of extinction is remarkable, the footage also reveals an unfamiliar aspect of their feeding behavior: the use of water between obtaining prey and eating it.
