Badgers of the genus Meles have a relatively high count of rod to cone cells. In addition, they have a tapetum which reflects light back through the retina. These features aid in night vision. The eyes of Meles badgers are relatively small for nocturnal mammals. This indicates that eyesight may be of less importance to the animal than other senses. Meles badgers have an extremely well developed sense of smell. Scroll bones in the nasal cavity provide a large surface area for sensory epithelia.
Little is known about hearing in Meles badgers. They produce a large variety of noises covering a wide range of frequencies. These noises may be useful in communication.
Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic ; chemical
Other Communication Modes: scent marks
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Current information on population trends is not available for M. leucurus.
US Federal List: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
There is evidence of Asian badgers preying upon livestock, calves and foals. They are also attracted to grapes in vineyards, and may damage fences to access them.
Negative Impacts: crop pest
Asian badger's hair is used for various types of brushes. Their hide is used to make rugs and leatherwork.
Positive Impacts: body parts are source of valuable material
Members of genus Meles are commonly parasitized by fleas (Paraceras melis), lice (Trichodectes melis), and ticks (Ixodes), and to a lesser degree, mites. No specific information is available for M. leucurus.
Commensal/Parasitic Species:
Asian badgers are omnivorous and consume a wide variety of foods, including earthworms, insects, mammals, reptiles, birds, frogs, mollusks, berries, pine nuts, and other plant material. Regional badger diet is based largely on availability. Throughout much of its range, earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) are the most common food source. Insects make up the majority of the Asian badger's diet in more arid regions, such as Mongolia. A population on Bol’shoi Chukhtinskii Island in Russia may subsist largely on pine nuts. They have also been known to prey on young livestock.
Animal Foods: birds; mammals; amphibians; reptiles; fish; eggs; insects; mollusks; terrestrial worms
Plant Foods: leaves; wood, bark, or stems; seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit
Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore , Vermivore); herbivore (Granivore )
Asian badgers (Meles leucurus) range widely throughout the temperate regions of eastern Europe and Asia. Their range extends from eastern Russia to China and is bordered in the south by the Himalayas. The western boundary of their range is the Ural-Volga region of Russia, along which, they are sympatric with European badgers (Meles meles).
Biogeographic Regions: palearctic (Native )
Asian badgers occupy a diverse range of habitats. They are found in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests, as well as mountainous regions, steppes, semi-deserts, and tundra. In forested areas they often dig burrows on the south-facing slopes of ravines, where the snow melts earlier. They prefer areas with well-drained soil. In steppe regions they often occupy gullies. They may burrow in the banks of coastal lakes, as well as near the bottom of sand dunes. They always stay near a water source. In the Caucasus Mountains, they range vertically from sea level to the alpine meadows.
Range elevation: Sea level to 3000 m.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: tundra ; desert or dune ; savanna or grassland ; forest ; mountains
There is no data available on the lifespan of M. leucurus in the wild or in captivity. Meles meles, a close relative, may reach 15 years in the wild; however, it is fairly unusual for individuals to exceed 10 years. The oldest known captive M. meles was 19 1/2 years.
Asian badgers have a stocky, somewhat wedge-shaped body. Their limbs are short, with strong elongated claws (22 to 26 mm) that are well-adapted for digging. The average size and mass of Asian badgers varies regionally. Those found in Siberia are larger than those from the far-Eastern part of the range. Their mass also varies throughout the year, peaking in the fall before hibernation. Males are generally larger, but there is variation in the degree of sexual dimorphism between different populations.
The pelage of Asian badgers is dense and coarse. They are generally grayish-silver with a white face and dark brown or black stripes running over each eye. They exhibit a range of regional pelage coloration. Specimens from Mongolia have a relatively lighter coat, while those from the Amur region are particularly dark in color. In addition, mountain inhabitants are almost always darker than those of the plains.
Range mass: 3.5 to 9 kg.
Range length: 49.5 to 70 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: male larger
Asian badger cubs may be preyed upon by lynxes, wolves, and wolverines, where their ranges overlap. Adult badgers are not known to have predators.
Known Predators:
Asian badgers can mate year-round and fertilization can occur at any time, but cubs are generally only born between mid-January and mid-March. This is achieved through delayed implantation.
Mating System: polygynandrous (promiscuous)
Badgers of the genus Meles give birth once per year, usually between mid-January and mid-March. Mating occurs primarily in the spring. Mating and fertilization may occur throughout the year, but implantation is delayed. There is no data available specific to M. leucurus.
Range number of offspring: 1 to 5.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 13 to 14 months.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 12 to 15 months.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; delayed implantation
Badgers of genus Meles show alloparental behavior, where related individuals help raise the young. These relatives may chase the young into the den when they are threatened, or chase away predators. There is no data available for M. leucurus, specifically.
Parental Investment: female parental care
The Asian badger (Meles leucurus), also known as the sand badger, is a species of badger native to Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Korean Peninsula and Russia.
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The Asian badger is mostly lighter in colour than the European badger, though some forms may closely approach the former in colour, if not darker, with smudges of ocherous and brownish highlights. The flanks are lighter than the middle of the back, and the facial stripes are usually brown rather than black. The facial stripes narrow behind the eyes and extend above the ears. The white parts of the head are usually dirtier in colour than those of the European badger. The light stripe passing along the top of the head between the two stripes is relatively short and narrow. The Asian badger is generally smaller than the European badger and has relatively longer upper molars.[3] It appears to be the smallest of the three Meles badgers despite regional size variations, with the largest-bodied populations in Siberia. Body mass typically ranges from 3.5 to 9 kg (7.7 to 19.8 lb) and length from 50 to 70 cm (20 to 28 in).[4][5] The average weight of three adult males from Sobaeksan National Park was 6 kg (13 lb).[6]
Five subspecies are recognized.[7]
Asian badgers have a large range including the southern portion of Russia east of the Urals, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, and Korea. The species can be found within areas of high elevation (perhaps up to 4,000 m (13,000 ft)) in the Ural Mountains, the Tian Shan mountains, and the Tibetan Plateau. The ranges of Asian and European badgers are separated in places by the Volga River. Asian badgers prefer open deciduous woodland and adjacent pastureland, but also inhabit coniferous and mixed woodlands, scrub and steppe. They are sometimes found in suburban areas.[2]
Asian badgers are legally hunted in China, Russia and Mongolia, as well as illegally within protected areas in China. Russia's established badger hunting season usually takes place from August to November.[2]
In Mongolian traditional medicine, balm made from badger fat oil is used as a remedy for variety of ailments and diseases such as pulmonary tuberculosis, pneumonia, bronchitis, stomach ulcer, inflammatory diseases of the kidney, intestinal diseases and colds.
The Asian badger (Meles leucurus), also known as the sand badger, is a species of badger native to Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Korean Peninsula and Russia.
