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Foraging behaviour and home‐range utilization in a suburban Badger ( Meles tneles ) population
Author(s) -
CRESSWELL W. J.,
HARRIS S.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
mammal review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.574
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1365-2907
pISSN - 0305-1838
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2907.1988.tb00069.x
Subject(s) - meles , badger , foraging , home range , geography , ecology , habitat , range (aeronautics) , territoriality , population , mustelidae , biology , demography , materials science , sociology , composite material
The size and distribution of home ranges, and the dispersion of latrines, was investigated to describe the use of space and degree of territoriality within a population of Badgers ( Meles meles ) living in the suburbs of Bristol. The movement patterns of different age and sex classes were studied, along with seasonal changes in various measures of activity. Part of the study area was surveyed in detail to compare the Badger's use of space with a variety of habitat parameters, and to examine the predictability of their foraging behaviour. Many of the results are in contrast to earlier studies on rural Badgers. Range sizes were variable, and inconsistent over time, many group ranges were not contiguous and those that were overlapped. Territorial boundaries were not obvious and latrines were clumped around sett sites. Age‐ and sex‐specific differences in movement activity were observed, along with an expansion of ranges in spring and a decrease in all forms of activity over the winter. Using multiple regression analysis, it was not easy to predict the foraging behaviour of suburban Badgers on the basis of 37 habitat variables sampled. There was some evidence of more structured foraging in the autumn, when more predictable food resources were available. The relevance of these observations to other studies on the ecology of Badger populations at varying densities and in different habitats is discussed.