Felid bedrooms with a panoramic view: selection of resting sites by Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in a karstic landscape

• Published in: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
• Main Authors: Hočevar, Lan, Oliveira, Teresa, Krofel, Miha
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer 2021
• Subjects: daybed; microscale habitat selection; kill site; infrastructure; large carnivores; habitat use; počivališča; ležišča; mikrohabitat; raba prostora; mesta uplenitev; infrasruktura; velike zveri; evrazijski ris; Lynx lynx; info:eu-repo/classification/udc/630*15; Lynx; Lynx lynx lynx
• Online Access: https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/IzpisGradiva.php?id=127149; https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?id=143391&dn=; https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?id=143393&dn=; https://plus.si.cobiss.net/opac7/bib/63978499?lang=sl

Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is a crepuscular-nocturnal carnivore and mostly spends daytime resting. Although resting sites represent an important part of the lynx habitat and can be negatively affected by human activities, it is still poorly known how lynx select these sites, especially in regions with rugged topography characteristic for much of the species% range. We analysed microscale habitat selection of lynx resting sites at the home-range level in a karstic landscape of the Dinaric Mountains, Slovenia, using a use-availability study design. We also searched for differences in the selection of resting sites in respect to the presence of ungulate kills, which often limit the available resting sites during the prey-consumption period. Using generalised linear mixed models (GLMM), we tested which environmental features and human infrastructure are important for lynx when choosing resting sites. Lynx selected mountain ridges and hilltops, as well as locations with steeper slopes and lower local visibility. Such locations likely provide concealment from potential danger or prey and, at the same time, offer good overview of the surroundings. There was also a tendency to avoid forest cabins and to select rocky terrain and southern exposures, but support in the data for this was lower. When lynx were not limited by the presence of fresh kill, the selection tended to be stronger, but the differences were not significant, except for visibility, which was lower at resting sites near prey remains. Results likely reflect high availability of suitable resting sites in a rugged terrain of karstic landscape.