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| Zheltukhin, A.S. | |
| Biocenotic relationships of the European lynx Lynx-lynx in the southern taiga of the upper Volga river area Russian-SFSR USSR | |
| 1986 Zoologiceskij zhurnal (65): 259-271 | |
On the basis of materials collected in 1975 to 1984 the mountain hare has been shown to be the main object of the European lynx diet, its frequency being as high as 68.1%. The proportion of birds and small rodents in the lynx diet increases in the snowless period, while the proportion of the hare reduces down to 42%. In 23% of cases the lynx stalks the hare successfully. The annual prey of the lynx is approximately as follows: 90 hares, 50 hazel hens, 20 capercaillies, 25 birds of other species and 10 squirrels. During the snow period one lynx is capable to eliminate up to 23% of the total number of the mountain hare from the territory of 100 km2. The analysis of many years' fluctuations of the predator and prey numbers corroborates the conclusion that the lynx activity is not a factor which may be a cause of depression of the hare numbers. The wolf and, partly, the pine marten are the lynx competitors for the food. At the same time, the European lynx is a sponger of the brown bear and the wolf. The fox and the pine marten are the lynx commensals. |
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