A first in Spain: Iberian lynx filmed dunking their prey to quench their kittens' thirst

A team of scientists has documented for the first time how female lynxes deliberately carry their prey to water sources and then, also intentionally, submerge them to give their kittens a drink with their food.

This discovery took place on the "El Castañar" estate in Mazarambroz (Toledo) and was made possible thanks to a project by the research group for wildlife ecology and management. This group is part of the research institute on hunting resources (Irec), which in turn is part of Spain's national research council (CSIC) and the University of Castilla-La Mancha.

This unprecedented behaviour in the Iberian lynx - the deliberate dunking of prey in water - was captured by camera traps deployed on this estate in the Montes de Toledo mountain range over the past few years. According to the work of these researchers, published in the scientific journal Ecology under the title "Prey-soaking behaviour in the Iberian lynx", this finding reveals a previously unknown facet of the behavioural ecology of this species, clearly linked to its intelligence and its ability to adapt to the natural environment.

Until now it was thought that terrestrial carnivores, like the lynx, either consumed their prey quickly after hunting and tearing it apart or they hid it to ensure a future food supply. However, camera traps managed to record a female lynx called Naia carrying a freshly-caught rabbit to a watering hole to soak it and then take it to her young. This same behaviour has since been documented on eight similar occasions involving five different females at five different water sources.

In the footage, the lynxes can be seen submerging their prey in water for at least 60 seconds without letting go, before retreating with the soaked prey to where their kittens are waiting to be fed - and watered. Researchers assert this behaviour is not directly caused by extreme heatwaves, rather that the aim is to use the prey's fur as a proper water sponge.

In the shade, a water-soaked rabbit can retain water equivalent to five per cent of its body weight and maintain a significant portion of that moisture even 40 minutes after being submerged. This facilitates hydration of the lynx's young during weaning, a critical time when they're switching from mother's milk to solids. By soaking the rabbit, the mother provides her kittens not only with meat, but also with a vital water resource in an arid environment.

This study also offers new insights into the social lives of these big cats, hitherto considered solitary carnivores. It has now been shown that they possess a certain degree of sociability that allows the transmission of knowledge. It is believed that one female discovered the benefits of dunking her prey in water and others, especially her daughters, learned the same technique through observation.

"This behaviour is extremely rare in wild terrestrial carnivores and has never been documented before in felines," explains José Jiménez, Irec researcher and lead author of the study. "What is most surprising is that, according to our observations, this behaviour seems to be transmitted between related individuals or those from neighbouring territories, suggesting possible social or even cultural transmission." This last point reflects the lynx's adaptability to a changing environment. "Even in species as well-studied as the Iberian lynx, we continue to find unexpected behaviours in the wild that challenge our ideas about evolution and adaptation," says Professor Jiménez.