Time-lapse images of concealing behavior at a mating site by a male Japanese badger (Meles anakuma) after copulation.

(13.8MB, 00:00:23)
Shot Date: 2015/04/16
Shot Location: Chino City, Nagano, Japan

* species
Meles anakuma

Key Words
Concealing behavior
Mating site




Hiroshi Tanaka
2024/04/16 submitted



Animalia >Chordata >Mammalia >Carinvora >Mustelidae >Meles >

A male copulated with a female from 13:18 to 15:06 when he pressed the female against the ground. The male completed copulation at 15:07. At the time, the ground at the mating site was bare. The male had completely covered evidence of mating (i.e., bare ground) with fallen leaves and soil at 15:12.

Below is the abstract from the article containing this video:

We describe the details of the mating behavior of the Japanese badger, Meles anakuma, using camera trapping. Similar to other mustelid species, the females copulated with multiple males (mean = 3.0). Repeated mounting with the same male was observed, occurring 3.4 times on average. The average duration of the mounting bout was approximately 70 min, which was much longer than that observed for the congener M. meles. Following the initial mounting bout, males constructed a rest site by gathering fallen leaves and branches close to the female sett. Males rested at these sites between mounting bouts, likely to guard their mates from rival males. The mating pairs displayed a preference for returning to the same location for copulatory activities, which resulted in the dispersal of fallen leaves and surface soil disturbance. We found that some males restored the copulation site by covering it with leaves, soil, and branches after all mating behaviors were completed. This action prevented rival males from locating females, especially if they relied on olfactory cues from the copulation sites. Our study reveals interspecific differences in mating behavior within Meles and the relationship between social systems and mating behavior. Digital video images related to this article are available at http://www.momo-p.com/showdetail-e.php?movie id=momo240213ma01a, http://www.momo-p.com/showdetail-e.php?movieid=momo240213ma02a, http://www.momo-p. com/showdetail-e.php?movieid=momo240213ma04a, http://www.momo-p.com/showdetail-e.php?movieid=momo240213 ma05a, and http://www.momo-p.com/showdetail-e.php?movieid=momo240213ma06a.

Hiroshi Tanaka, Yukihiro Fukuda, Etsuko Yuki, and Wataru Kojima (2024). Mating behavior in the Japanese badger Meles anakuma. J. Ethol. 10.1007/s10164-024-00810-y

(Data No.momo240213ma05a)

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