**3. Results**

## *3.1. Lynx-Killed Roe Deer*

We inspected 79 lynx-killed roe deer from one to eleven days after the kill was made. Eighteen of the 79 (23%) carcasses had tracks from one or several scavengers (thirteen, four, and one carcasses had signs of avian, mammalian and unknown scavengers, respectively). Lynx had covered 35 of 79 (44%) of the carcasses partially or totally with snow or a combination of live and dead plant material available at the kill-site. Only 9% of the covered carcasses vs. 28% of the uncovered carcasses were scavenged (Figure 1).

**Figure 1.** Logistic regression model curves explaining the probability of being scavenged in relation to the number of days since the kill was made for (**a**) covered and (**b**) not covered lynx-killed roe deer carcasses in South-Eastern Norway (*n* = 74).

Each identified lynx individual killed on average 2.21 (±1.35) of the 53 roe deer carcasses for which we had information on lynx identity. We could not detect differences in caching behavior between single individuals compared to family groups (female with kittens) (Chi-square = 1.93, df = 1, *p* = 0.164) or between males compared to females (Chi-square = 1.73, df = 1, *p* = 0.188). Similarly, we could not detect differences in caching behavior in open areas compared to forest (Chi-square = 0.433, df = 1, *p* = 0.5105).

The logistic model explaining the probability of being scavenged selected by model reduction included number of days after the kill and treatment as explanatory variables. The probability of being scavenged increased with number of days since the kill was made, and when the kill was uncovered. The regression equation for covered carcasses was y = 0.03 + 0.69 \* Nr of days, whereas the regression equation for not covered carcasses was y = 0.80 + 0.69 \* Nr of days (*p* < 0.05 for all terms).
