The European badger (Meles meles L.). Synthesis of European data on habitat selection, density of burrows and animals, vital territories, diet and activity cycles. ; Le blaireau Européen (Meles meles L.). Synthèse des données européennes concernant la sélection des habitats, la densité des terriers et des populations, les territoires vitaux, le régime alimentaire et les cycles d’activités.

SUMMARYThe European badger (Meles melesL.) is a widely distributed species throughout Europe. Moreover, the knowledge and the monitoring of this species arenot easy due to the difficulty of catching and its nightlife. Badgers havebeen studied since the middle of the 20 th century, particularly by the Englishresearchers, for whom this animal has a particularstatus. In addition to the issue of bovine tuberculosis and the alleged role of badgers in it, badger ethology continues to be studied by many researchers. Over the past twenty years, some syntheseshave been published in the scientific literature: density of burrows in Europe, population trends in England, the Netherlands and Ireland, home ranges and population densities. The related papers are sometimes old and, at present, there is no recent synthesis in French aboutthe ethology of the Eurasian badger.Based on the analysis of approximately 400 references (from the 1930s to the present), this report presents current knowledge on burrows (density, size,.), populations, home ranges, activity cycles and diet. A database has been set up, allowing data mapping at theEuropean scale.oncerning the selection of habitats,the forest landscapes (at least 30 to 50% of forest cover) with many grasslands, extensive pastures, hedges, broadleaved oak stands are the preferred sites to dig burrows. The digging mainly occurs in softly well-drained sandy or silty soils in medium to steeply sloping areas (optimum between 40% and 80%) in various aspects. Burrows are excavated close to the edges of the forests and open areas (optimum distance about 100 m) but far from the human habitations (often more than 300 m). Nevertheless, badgers can also live in town (gardens, wooded parks.). Burrows are more often observed in plains than in mountains (< to 400 m). In Mediterranean areas, the proximity of a water source is also an important factor to explain the location of the burrows (often less than 100 to 200 m). oncerning the size of the burrows, itvaries from few square meters (10 to ...