Vigilance in badgers Meles meles: the effects of group size and human persecution

• Autorzy: Tuyttens F. A. M. , Stapley N. , Stewart P.D. , Macdonald D.W.
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

Potential costs to badgers Meles meles (Linnaeus, 1758) of living in groups may be offset by the ability of a group to either improve predator detection, or reduce the time each individual must be vigilant to attain a certain likelihood of predator detection. Using an infra-red video-surveillance system, we show that badgers emerge later from their dens in a population that has been repeatedly subjected to lethal control by humans as compared to badgers from a nearby, undisturbed population. We further illustrate that, despite the apparent lack of a visual or vocal alarm signal to alert group members to a threat, corporate vigilance increases and individual vigilance levels decrease as badgers aggregate in groups (up to 4). These results highlight the pos­sibility that the role of (human) predation in badger social evolution has not been sufficiently considered.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

geographic distribution; emergence; sociality; Meles meles; vigilance; culling; badger; Eurasian badger

• Wydawca: -
• Czasopismo: Acta Theriologica
• Rocznik: 2001
• Tom: 46
• Numer: 1
• Opis fizyczny: p.79-86,fig.

Twórcy

autor

Tuyttens F. A. M.

• University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, Great Britain

autor

Stapley N.

autor

Stewart P.D.

autor

Macdonald D.W.

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