During the last decade, losses of semi‐domestic reindeer Rangifer tarandus have increased in central Norway. Natural mortality in a semi‐domestic reindeer herd was studied by use of mortality sensing transmitters. From 15 April 1995 to 15 April 1996,135 of 612 animals equipped with radio collars were found dead. Adult females (>2 years old) suffered a mortality of 18.3%, of which 40.5% was due to predation. Yearlings suffered a yearly mortality of 20.2% of which 66.7% was due to predation. Calf mortality from 6 August 1995 to 15 April 1996 was 31.0%, of which 75.3% was due to predation. Predation by Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx was the predominant cause of death, with 39.3% of the total mortality. Accidents were the second most important cause of death, with 16.0% of the total mortality. Peaks in mortality were registered in September, November and January.

L y n x Lynx lynx h u n tin g in N o r w a y is r e g u la te d th r o u g h r e g io n a l q u o ta s a c c o r d in g to th e m a g n itu d e o f p r e d a tio n o n s e m i-d o m e s tic a te d r e in d e e r Rangifer tarandus a n d d o m e s tic s h e e p Oves aries. L y n x e s a n d s e m i-d o m e stic a te d r e in d e e r w e r e s tu d ie d u s in g te le m e tr y in a n a r e a in N o rd -T rp n d e la g C o u n ty , N o rw a y , w ith h ig h ly n x p r e d a tio n o n r e in d e e r a n d d o m e s tic s h e e p a n d a h ig h h u n tin g p r e s s u r e o n ly n x e s . T h e p r o b a b ility o f a n u n g u la te k ille d b y ly n x e s b e in g liv e s to c k a s o p p o s e d to a r o e d e e r ( th e o n ly a lte r n a tiv e w ild u n g u la te ) in c r e a s e d w ith in c r e a s in g d is ta n c e f ro m f ie ld s (P < 0 .0 0 0 1 ) a n d r o a d s (P < 0 .0 0 0 1 ). H u n tin g w a s th e o n ly m o r ta lity c a u s e f o u n d f o r r a d io c o lla r e d ly n x e s . T h e c u llin g o f ly n x e s w a s b ia s e d to w a r d s th e v ic in ity o f r o a d s a n d c u ltiv a te d f ie ld s c o m p a r e d w ith th e g e n e r a l d is tr ib u tio n o f r a d io c o lla r e d ly n x e s (P < 0 .0 0 1 ) a n d r a d io -c o lla r e d s e m i-d o m e s tic a te d r e in d e e r k ille d b y ly n x e s

T. 1999. Intraguild predation of lynxes on foxes: evidence of interference competition? -Ecography 22: 521 -523.There is a growing focus among ecologists on the importance of predatory interactions between competing species, but because of its mixed character, it is difficult to pinpoint the possible, competitive component of the interaction. We tested degree of prey consumption in intraguild predation of Eurasian lynxes on red foxes against assumed 'pure' predation, i.e. roe deer and mountain hares. The proportion of uneaten fox carcasses was highly significantly larger than the proportion of both other prey species, indicating that interference competition may play a role in the intraguild predation of lynxes on red foxes. P. Sunde @sunde@zi.ku.dk),

Habitat and spatial organisation of 11 radio tagged Eurasian lynxes Lynx lynx Linnaeus, 1758 were studied in a low-density (ca 0.3 ind/100 km ) population in a boreal-alpine environment with low and temporally varying densities (< 180 ind/100 km in winter) of ungulate prey, primarily roe deer and semi-domestic reindeer. The use of habitat measured as 4 biome categories ranked from south boreal to alpine influenced mountain vegetation did not vary seasonally, but lowlands were much preferred to alpine habitats. Adult males moved almost 3 times farther per day in linear distance (x = 5.9 km, n = 3) than did females with kittens (3c = 2.0 km, n -4) or subadult females (x = 2.5 km, n = 6; p = 0.002). Subadults (n = 5) dispersed 42 ± 13 (x ± SE) km during the first 9 months of independence, but often visited their natal range during the first year on their own. Adult lynxes roamed over very large annual ranges [males: 1906 ± 387 km 2 (n = 4), females: 561 ± 102 km 2 (n = 6)] that took > 5 days to pass through, independently of sex. The only male monitored over more than 1 year maintained 2 separate home ranges each year. The larger home ranges and the possible tendency towards less defined territory boundaries than previously reported for the species, may be caused by the lower prey and population densities, though culling of adult individuals may also have played a role by continuously creating empty gaps in the territorial mosaic.

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