Physical and population parameters of Eurasian badgers (Meles meles L.) from Mediterranean Spain

Biometry, reproduction, and density of the Eurasian badger (Meles meles) population living in the Donana area. Mediterranean Spain, were investigated. These badgers were smaller, lighter, and less sexually dimorphic than those from any other region of this widely distributed species. There was no significant seasonal variation in body mass. Most of the births occurred in January. Reproduction occurred once a year in 67% of the territories. All females older than two years had bred at least once; and 65% bred in the calendar year of capture. Badger densities ranged from 0.23 to 0.67 individuals/ km(2). These densities are between five and 125 times lower than that of populations inhabiting temperate ecosystems: where badgers feed on earthworms. Biometric and reproductive parameters of this population fit into the clinal variation found across Europe, where badgers are smaller and breed earlier to the south. Low densities can be explained as a functional response to the low productivity of Mediterranean areas and can also be expected for many other parts of the species' distribution area, where earthworms are not the staple food.