Temperature and humidity in badger Meles meles setts

Authors: MOORE J.A.H.; ROPER T.J.

Source: Mammal Review, Volume 33, Numbers 3-4, September 2003 , pp. 308-313(6)

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Abstract:

1. Temperature and relative humidity were measured within 12 badger Meles meles setts over periods ranging from 24 hours to 1 year.

2. Relative humidity was 100% within all setts at all times of year. Mean daily, monthly and annual within-sett temperature ranges were 0.37°C, 1.5°C and 10.7°C, respectively, and were significantly less than the corresponding ambient temperature ranges of 8.9°C, 19.0°C and 24.1°C.

3. There was no evidence that the temperature regime of main setts differed from that of outlier setts. Within a single large main sett, temperatures taken simultaneously at different sampling points differed by up to 2.5°C. The temperature of nest chambers that were occupied by a badger was, on average, 2.4°C higher than in unoccupied chambers.

4. We conclude that: (i) variation in within-sett temperature and humidity is not sufficient to explain the complex way in which badgers use the setts available to them; and (ii) the environmental conditions within badger setts are such as would be expected to favour the survival of bovine tuberculosis Mycobacterium bovis bacilli.

Keywords: bovine tuberculosis; burrow; environment; mammal; microclimate; Mycobacterium bovis

Document Type: Short communication

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2907.2003.00021.x

Affiliations: 1: School of Biological Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK

Publication date: 2003-09-01