One more finding of a lynx lair

Co-author Irina Rotenko

Denning of the Eurasian lynx, as well as its reproduction in general in non‑rocky, more or less flat regions of Eurasia—where most individuals of the species live—remains an enigmatic aspect of its behaviour and ecology. Gradually, we have become quite advanced in investigating these hidden traits of the species, having already found more than twenty lynx lairs. Step by step, we are moving toward publishing a comprehensive analysis of the concealed features of Eurasian lynx reproduction.

However, this work will still require several more years. In this post, we briefly report the latest finding of a lynx lair simply to inform colleagues about its appearance and structure.

The habitat – treefall of ten hectares, where the initial and second lair were situated.

Initial lair under ground heap with roots of trees. You see the entrance.

Passage of 25-32 cm in the diameter from the entrance to the denning chamber. The area of the denning chamber is about one meter in the diameter and 30-50 cm as high.

You see the kittens in the second lair under trunk of uprooted huge spruce in the treefall. The lair was placed at the root plate of uprooted spruce. The resting site was about 110-140 cm in the diameter.

The kittens were born around 20th May. The second lair was located 72 meters from the initial one. Plausible leaving of the initial den is an accumulation of smell that could indicate the lair location. Therefore, lynx mothers used to relocate of their small kittens in another site.

We applied several camera traps in the treefall, so the post will be updated in a few weeks with additional information. Possibly, the lynx mother is the old female we call Aurelia, now about 11 years old. She spent a lot of time in this treefall with three kittens during the previous summer and autumn.