Lus M. Rosalino, David W. Macdonald, Margarida Santos-Reis
Activity rhythms, movements and patterns of sett use by badgers, Meles meles,
in a Mediterranean woodland
Activity rhythms and movement patterns of Eurasian badgers (Meles meles
Linnaeus, 1758) inhabiting a cork oak woodland in SW Portugal are
described. Twenty months of radio-tracking data for six individuals are presented.
Badgers showed crepuscular or nocturnal activity, generally starting
after sunset and ending before sunrise, being active on average for 8.26 hours
per day. There was some seasonal variation in these parameters, but there was
no evidence of any effect due to sex or moonlight. Nevertheless, wind speed
seems to be associated with wide-ranging movements. No significant correlation
was found between the onset of activity and sunset or between cessation
of activity and sunrise. On average, badgers travelled 4378 m per night. Males
usually had more extensive movements than did females, probably because
maternal behaviour restricted female ranging. The mean distance between
setts used on consecutive days was 295 m, and differed seasonally, being
greater in spring 2000/2001 and summer 2000. Badgers inhabiting the cork
oak woodland of our study area revealed lower sett fidelity than reported for
their northern counterparts, especially those of lowland England. Only on
36% of occasions did they come back to sleep in the same sett, with females
returning more often to the same den. The mean number of consecutive days
spent in a sett was higher in spring and lower in summer.
Mammalia, Walter de Gruyter
Print ISSN: 0025-1461
Volume: 69, 12/2005
Pages: 395 - 408
Show full article (external site)
Show all available items of this journal
Search
