The Japanese badger (Meles anakuma) is an endemic species in Japan. Although it has been considered a forest-dwelling species, a recent study has shown that badgers use pastures intensively to feed on earthworms, suggesting that pastures comprise an important habitat for them. Therefore, this study investigated the distribution of this species’ setts (≥ 1 m deep) and couches (< 1 m deep) in a mosaic habitat composed of grasslands and forests. A significantly higher number of setts and couches were located at the forest edge neighboring to grassland than within the grassland or the inner part of the forest. This suggests that Japanese badgers preferentially construct their setts and couches near grasslands for easier access while avoiding various disturbances. This study found that significantly more setts and couches were situated on the north-facing slope, suggesting that this location avoids the trampling disturbances caused by the sika deer’s (Cervus nippon) feeding activities, due to slow snow thawing. The proper conservation of Japanese badgers would require recognizing the grasslands’ neighboring forest edge as an important sett or couch site.

中文翻译：

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日本badge Meles anakuma在草原/森林马赛克中的定居点选择

日本badge（Meles anakuma）是日本的特有物种。尽管它被认为是森林中的一种，但最近的一项研究表明，rs在集约化地利用草场以feed为食，这表明草场是它们的重要栖息地。因此，本研究在由草地和森林组成的镶嵌生境中调查了该物种的定居点（深度≥1 m）和沙发（深度<1 m）的分布。与草原或森林内部相比，位于草原附近的森林边缘的草席和沙发的数量要多得多。这表明日本badge优先在草原附近建造自己的定居点和长沙发，以便在避免各种干扰的同时更容易进入。这项研究发现，朝北的斜坡上有更多的定居点和沙发床，由于缓慢的雪融化，导致了日本宫颈的摄食活动。要适当保护日本conservation，就必须将草原附近的森林边缘视为重要的定居点或躺椅。