Reintroducing wild lynx into Scotland would result in the "top end predators" spreading across the entire Highlands within a century, according to a study.

The Stirling University study suggests three sites would be suitable for the animal - the Scottish part of Kielder Forest in the Borders, Aberdeenshire and the Kintyre Peninsula.

It found the Kintyre Peninsula was the most suitable, with the population spreading across the Highlands in the 100 years following release.

But it said the Central Belt "would act as a barrier to colonisation" between the Highlands and Southern Uplands, providing evidence for two distinct habitat networks".

Lynx are thought to have become extinct in the UK during the medieval period, around 1,300 years ago. The carnivore consumes about one or two kg of meat every day.

The study says that "in recent years, its potential reintroduction has been widely debated". Conservationists claim its re-introduction as "top predator" could "help restore the health of Scotlands natural ecosystems".

But Fergus Ewing, the SNP's Rural Economy Minister, told farmers last year that wolves, bears or lynx would be reintroduced "over my dead body."

Tom Ovenden, a PhD researcher who led the study, said further research was needed to assess "other important factors" such as public attitudes.