Meles leucurus (Hodgson, 1847) Brisson, 1762

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Mustelidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 564-656 : 623

5.

Asian Badger

Meles leucurus

French: Blaireau d'Asie / German: Asiatischer Dachs / Spanish: Tejon asiatico

Taxonomy. Taxidea leucurus Hodgson, 1847 ,

China.

The Asian Badger has been considered conspecific with the European Badger by some authors, but is listed here as a distinct species. Two subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

M..l. leucurus Hodgson, 1847 — C, E & S China..

M. l. amurensis Schrenck, 1859 — NE China (Manchuria), Kazakhstan, Mongolia, North and South Korea, and Russia (E of Volga River).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 49.5-70 cm, tail 13-20.5 cm; weight 3.5-9 kg. The Asian Badger bears a great resemblance to the European Badger. The bodyis stocky, with short legs and a short tail. The coarse and dense pelage is grayish-silver throughout. The face is white with two narrow blackish-brown stripes running over the eye and above the ear. The nose is long with a large rhinarium. The soles ofthe feet are naked. The front claws are well-developed for digging, whereas the hindclaws are much smaller. There are three pairs of mammae. The skull is narrow with an elongated rostrum. Dental formula: 13/3, C1/1,P3/3,M 1/2 = 34.

Habitat. Forests and fields, and in close proximity to humans.

Food and Feeding. The diet is mainly invertebrates (earthworms and insects), small mammals, and plant material.

Activity patterns. Nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Asian Badgers are gregarious and live in communalsetts with multiple tunnels and den entrances.

Breeding. Nothing known.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern in The [UCN Red List. Although the European Badger has been well studied in Europe, little is known specifically about the Asian Badger, although it is presumed that there are few differences in basic natural history between these two species. Field studies are needed to learn more about the natural history, ecology, and conservation status of the Asian Badger. This speciesis legally hunted in China, Russia, and Mongolia.

Bibliography. Abramov & Puzachenko (2006), Neal & Cheeseman (1996), Wozencraft (2005, 2008).

Figures

1. American Badger (Taxidea taxus), 2. Honey Badger (Mellivora capensis), 3. Hog Badger (Arctonyx collars), 4. Japanese Badger (Meles anakuma), 5. Asian Badger (Meles leucurus), 6. European Badger (Meles meles)

Subspecies and Distribution. M ..l. leucurus Hodgson, 1847 — C, E & S China.. M. l. amurensis Schrenck, 1859 — NE China (Manchuria), Kazakhstan , Mongolia , North and South Korea , and Russia (E of Volga River).