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Ferret badgerMelogale moschata activity, movements, and den site use in southeastern China

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Abstract

We conducted field studies of ferret badgersMelogale moschata (Gray, 1831) during March–November 1994 and May–July 1996 at Taohong Village in southeastern China. Capture data suggested that they gave birth in May, and telemetry data on 11 individuals indicated that they were nocturnal. Size of resting home ranges (daybed locations only;n ≥ 20 re-locations) of 6 individuals averaged 11 ha (range 1–25 ha) and no sex-specific differences in size were detected. Distances between daily resting sites averaged 101 m, but ferret badgers often (51% of occasions) returned to sites used the previous day. Ferret badgers readily used a variety of shelters as daybeds, including rodent dens (47%), firewood stacks (20%), open fields (17%), and rock piles (5%) around houses.

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Wang, H., Fuller, T.K. Ferret badgerMelogale moschata activity, movements, and den site use in southeastern China. Acta Theriol 48, 73–78 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03194267

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03194267

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