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Publications |
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Revilla,
E. (2000) |
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Most of the information regarding badger
social organisation comes from high density populations, where groups of
badgers share territory and a communal den. Group living in those areas has
been interpreted inside the Resource Dispersion Hypothesis: spatial
patchiness of key resources force primary animals to establish at an
oversized territory which let additional individuals to stay, at low cost for
the primary owner. I have studied badger social organisation at two different
low density populations in SW Spain. Territories were between 1 and 10 km2,
depending on territory quality. One of the populations lived in groups, where
only an adult female bred, while the other was formed by a couple of a female
and a male sharing the same territory. Territory size is marked by the
energetic requirements of breeding females during the season of trophic
stress, while males try to maximize their access to females. Group living is
dependent on the seasonal overabundance of profitable prey, such as young
rabbits and fruits. Dispersal at the group living population occurred during
the mating season. A theoretical frame is proposed for explaining all the
variability of the badger social organisation, and the future needs of
research on this subject. |
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Key
Words: Meles
meles, territoriality |
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