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 study found deer visited less and spent less time browsing in the plots with predator scents, particularly the smell of lynx, leading to less damage to the saplings planted there. 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.