The mere smell of predators such as lynx is enough to reduce the amount of time deer spend browsing on young trees, a study has found. The researchers said their findings highlight the importance of large predators in landscapes, and show how they – and even just their scent – could help reduce browsing from overabundant deer populations and support the recovery of forests. They also added that wolves were still establishing themselves in the area when the study was taking place, but the deer had more experience of lynx as predators. “Deer still have some innate fear of predators, even if those predators have been absent for generations. The reintroduction of lynx, which prey primarily on deer, would also directly reduce the number of herbivores eating saplings, they added.