Tracking the denning behavior of a model female lynx during the summer of 2024

Co-author Irina Rotenko

In mid-May 2023, an adult female lynx, whom we refer to as Mikhalina, gave birth within a densely layered treefall spanning approximately three hectares. She had three kittens. The following two photos depict the treefall.

In the video positioned below, you can see the Mikhalina den as it was in March 2024, a year after its construction in 2023. An adult male lynx, known locally as Pliamkach, who also resides in the vicinity, is seen approaching Mikhalina’s former den. This den was constructed within a dense layer of root plate from an upturned large spruce, featuring a 1.2-meter-long tunnel leading to a den chamber approximately 0.5 meters in diameter. It is possible that Mikhalina, the female lynx, gave birth at the root plate and subsequently moved her kittens to the prearranged burrow-den.

In late May 2024, a female lynx named Mikhalina gave birth in a thicket made up of young spruces and fallen trees, approximately 200 meters from the mentioned treefall. The birthplace was a former red deer resting site within the thicket. The site had quite a lot of lynx hair and a small, freshly dug pit beneath a log, which contained a significant amount of lynx hair. The location is depicted in the photograph below.

It appears that Mikhalina, a female lynx, has moved her kittens to the mentioned treefall, creating a cavity-den within the dense root plate of a large uprooted spruce. This relocation occurred just days after she gave birth in a young spruce thicket. The den features an oval chamber approximately 0.9 meters in length and 0.3-0.5 meters in width, with a similar height of 0.3-0.5 meters. There are two external entrances to the den.

It is noteworthy that a similar den was utilized by Mikhalina in May 2023. Additionally, it is worthwhile to notice that Mikhalina’s dens of 2023 and 2024 were located in the same treefall, merely 72 metres apart.

In this hollow den and its immediate vicinity, Mikhalina’s three kittens remained until the end of July. On August 4th, Mikhalina moved her three kittens to the previous den from May 2023, where the lynx family lingered at least until August 18th.

The above-mentioned male lynx Pliamkach still visits the denning plot of Mikhalina female lynx. See the footages below.