Diet of the Eurasian badger (<em>Meles meles</em>) in an area of the Italian Prealps

Abstract

<strong>Abstract</strong> Samples of Eurasian badger faeces (n= 147) were collected at monthly intervals from October 1997 to December 1999 in an area of the Italian Prealps (58 km²), on the eastern coast of Lario (Como Lake). The altitude of the area ranged from 200 to 1300 m. Badger scats were analysed to estimate the relative volume and the frequency of occurrence of identifiable food items. Fruits, arthropodes, earthworms and mammals constituted the main food categories. Differences were found between the seasonal frequency of occurrences of arthropodes, earthworms and mammals, considering however that the small sample size in summer does not allow any definitive conclusions. The wide range of food items eaten by badgers and the seasonal differences would suggest that the badger is a "generalist" species which adopts an opportunist feeding strategy