SPATIAL-ORGANIZATION AND SOCIAL-RELATIONS IN THE EURASIAN LYNX POPULATION IN BIALOWIEZA PRIMEVAL FOREST, POLAND

The home range size, spacing pattern and intraspecific relations in th e lynx Lynx lynx (Linnaeus, 1758) were studied in Bialowieza Primeval Forest (eastern Poland), in 1991-1996. Eighteen lynx (11 males and 7 f emales) were captured and radio-collared. The mean autumn-winter home range size was 165 km(2) for males and 94 km(2) for females. In spring -summer, it was 143 and 55 km(2), respectively. The mean life-time hom e ranges were 248 km(2) for males and 133 km(2) for females. Male home range size did not change significantly between autumn-winter and spr ing-summer seasons, however, their ranges increased by 40-90% just bef ore and during the mating season (December-March). The home range of f emales in the autumn-winter season was almost twice as large compared with the spring-summer period (94 vs 55 km(2)). The smallest home rang es were observed in breeding females during the two months after partu rition (10 km(2)) and these grew until the following spring. The home ranges calculated for 5-month periods shifted on average 4 km in adult males, 2.7 in adult females and 4.7 km in subadult males. One of the farthest shifts in the adult male range (8.7 km) was explained by the death of a neighbouring resident. The average overlap between adult ma les' ranges was 30%, while those between females was 6%. The largest o verlap occurred between adult males and females (62%) as well as betwe en adult and subadult males (75%). The lynx showed a tendency to avoid each other. The average distance between neighbouring adult males was 11.6 km, and they were never found closer than 1 km to each other. Th e average distance between neighbouring females was 8.1 km. Besides a few meetings between males and females (during and outside the mating season), they were located separately (4.4 km from each other, on aver age). In 93% of the cases an adult female was recorded with her depend ent kittens. It was concluded that home range size and spacing pattern in male lynx depend on the distribution of females, whereas spacing i n females was determined by food-related factors.