SPATIAL-ORGANIZATION AND LAND-TENURE SYSTEM OF THE ENDANGERED IBERIANLYNX (LYNX PARDINUS)

The spatial organization of the endangered Iberian lynx, Lynx pardinus (Temminck, 1827), was studied in Doaana National Park, south-western Spain, between 1983 and 1992. Thirty-six individuals (19 males and 17 females), including 24 adults (13 males and 11 females) were radio-tra cked, providing 13,950 locations during 17,111 radio-tracking days. Ib erian lynxes were essentially solitary (95.9% of simultaneous location s apart) and interactions were restricted to rearing activities by fem ales. Adult associations were uncommon. Seasonal (four months) home ra nges were larger for adult resident males (10.3 +/- 1.9 km(2); n = 5) than for females (8.7 +/- 2.4 km(2); n = 5). Lynxes used a central por tion of the home range intensively ('core area', 50% Harmonic Mean) wi th similar size for males (3.7 +/- 0.7 km(2)) and females (3.2 +/- 0.8 km(2)), representing, on average, a 37.6 +/- 1.5% and 36.6 +/- 4.5% o f male and female home ranges, respectively. Intrasexual home-range ov erlap was usually low between same-sex neighbours (15.1 +/- 6.6% males and 22.1 +/- 3.3% for females), but some instances of high overlap (> 25%), both among males and females, were recorded, corresponding to sp atial interactions between neighbours which usually ended with the dis placement of one of the contenders. Core areas were mainly exclusive e xcept during these spatial interactions. Actual fights resulting from these interactions seem more frequent than previously reported for oth er medium-sized solitary felids, likely promoted by high competition f or optimum territories due to saturation of the population. The Iberia n lynx spatial organization in Doaana works as a land tenure system, a s described for other solitary felids. Although the mating system tend s to monogamy, with male home range overlapping mainly that of one fem ale, individual variations to polygyny were also found.