Accepted Manuscripts / Habitat selection in a low-density badgers (Meles ...
Habitat selection in a low-density badgers (Meles meles) population: a comparison of radiotracking and latrine surveys
Alessando Balestrieri, Luigi Remonti & Claudio Prigioni
Indirect methods, such as faecal counts, have been widely used for assessing the abundance and habitat preferences of many mammal species, although their reliability has been long debated. We tested the validity of this method for the Eurasian badger Meles meles in a low density population of northern Italy, comparing the results obtained by both radiotracking and latrine distribution. The pattern of habitat use was sharply similar with both methods. Badgers selected patches of woodland, whilst agricultural and urban areas were avoided. Latrines were mainly sited in the centre of activity of all individuals, along man-made linear features. Although our data need to be validated across a wider range of social groups, evidence suggests that latrines might be used to broadly infer habitat preferences of badgers at the landscape level in low-density areas.
Key words: home range, scent marking, northern Italy