Space use by Eurasian lynxes lynx lynx in central norway

Abstract

Habitat and spatial organization of 11 radio tagged Eurasian lynxes Lynx lynx Linnaeus, 1758 were studied in a low-density (ca 0.3 ind/100 km 2) population in a boreal-alpine environment with low and temporally varying densities (≤ 180 ind/100 km2 in winter) of ungulate prey, primarily roe deer and semi-domestic reindeer. The use of habitat measured as 4 biome categories ranked from south boreal to alpine influenced mountain vegetation did not vary seasonally, but lowlands were much preferred to alpine habitats. Adult males moved almost 3 times farther per day in linear distance (×̄ = 5.9 km, n = 3) than did females with kittens (×̄ = 2.0 km, n = 4) or subadult females (×̄ = 2.5 km, n = 6; p = 0.002). Subadults (n = 5) dispersed 42± 13 (×̄ ± SE) km during the first 9 months of independence, but often visited their natal range during the first year on their own. Adult lynxes roamed over very large annual ranges [males: 1906 ± 387 km2(n = 4), females: 561 ± 102 km2(n = 6)] that took ≥ 5 days to pass through, independently of sex. The only male monitored over more than 1 year maintained 2 separate home ranges each year. The larger home ranges and the possible tendency towards less defined territory boundaries than previously reported for the species, may be caused by the lower prey and population densities, though culling of adult individuals may also have played a role by continuously creating empty gaps in the territorial mosaic.