The North American badger (Taxidea taxus) is a nonhibernating carnivore that occurs in areas with highly seasonal climates, such as in Canada where the animal reaches its northern limits. There, winter climate is harsh and conventional habitat is limited and patchy, possibly leading to additional energetic constraints. Using radiotelemetry and remote cameras, we documented winter activities of 16 badgers (12 females, 4 males) between 2007 and 2011 in British Columbia, at the northwestern periphery of the species' range. In comparison to their summer ecology, the animals reduced home range sizes by up to 98% and showed fidelity to particular burrows. Burrow fidelity was variable (mean 27 days; range 0–108) and coincided with reduction in body temperatures, suggesting the onset of torpor. Despite lengthy use of the same burrow, badgers emerged frequently and conducted excursions that appeared to represent foraging behavior. Burrow emergence was not related to ambient temperature or snow depth; rather, it was best explained by the amount of days elapsed since the start of winter. Despite these trends, winter activity also was variable among individual badgers. It may be that limited fat reserves and higher energetic costs in northwestern ranges require winter foraging activities.

中文翻译：

---

北美獾（Taxidea taxus）在其西北边缘的冬季活动模式

北美獾 (Taxidea taxus) 是一种不冬眠的食肉动物，生活在季节性气候强烈的地区，例如在加拿大，该动物到达其北部边界。在那里，冬季气候严酷，常规栖息地有限且零散，可能导致额外的能量限制。使用无线电遥测和远程摄像机，我们记录了 2007 年至 2011 年间 16 只獾（12 只雌性，4 只雄性）在不列颠哥伦比亚省该物种分布范围的西北部边缘的冬季活动。与它们的夏季生态相比，这些动物的栖息地面积减少了 98%，并对特定的洞穴表现出忠诚度。Burrow 保真度是可变的（平均 27 天；范围 0-108）并且与体温降低一致，表明麻木的开始。尽管长时间使用同一个洞穴，獾经常出现并进行似乎代表觅食行为的远足。洞穴的出现与环境温度或积雪深度无关；相反，最好用冬季开始以来经过的天数来解释。尽管有这些趋势，但不同獾的冬季活动也各不相同。可能是西北部地区有限的脂肪储备和较高的能量成本需要冬季觅食活动。