Movement patterns of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) around their kills in southern Sweden

Abstract: During the last ten- fifteen years the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) population in southern Sweden has increased considerably. This area has a high density of both people and roads and have a higher roe deer (main prey of lynx) density than the rest of the country. Movement patterns such as how long animals utilize their kills and how far they travel from their kills between revisits is unknown for lynx in southern Sweden. The aim of this study was to examine how different factors affected the time lynx used their kills and the distances they travelled from the kill between revisits. The data was prepared and calculated using ArcGIS and the study is based on 98 ungulate kills and 12 lynx individuals. I found that lynx used their kills for an average of 49 h (± 35 h) and they travelled on average 470 m (± 800 m) away from their kills between revisits. Male lynx travelled farther away from their kills between revisits (mean= 550 m ± 950 m) than did female lynx (mean= 280 m ± 190 m). Lynx were found to travel farther away from their kills during the mating season (mean= 880 m ± 1300 m) than during the rest of the year (mean= 370 m ± 610 m). However, this was driven by male lynx traveling farther away from kills during mating season (mean= 1760 m ± 1630 m) than during the rest of the year (mean= 390 m ± 690 m). I found no effect of landscape variables, different measures of human disturbance, wild boar presence and prey species on the distance lynx travelled from the kills between revisits. The knowledge about how lynx move around their kills in southern Sweden may be important to help develop the census methods for lynx and to carry out more accurate population estimations in the future. In addition, this study also provides important information for conservation of lynx in southern Sweden where human management and exploitation of the landscape can be adapted using information from this study.