Studies on carnivores are skewed toward larger species in India, limiting ecological information of the smaller ones. Basic ecological understanding like population density, distribution, habitat-use patterns of small carnivores is lacking. This inadequate knowledge has led to disagreement between conservation approaches in different landscapes. Honey badgers (Mellivora capensis) are cryptic carnivores distributed across large areas of Africa and Asia; however, fundamental ecological knowledge is scarce. The species is thought to exist at low population densities throughout its range. We used a large camera trap dataset from a tiger reserve in Maharashtra State, India to understand the population density, habitat preference, and diel activity pattern of the species. We applied an extension of the spatial count model for the estimation of population. Habitat preference analyses were carried out using generalized linear models and activity patterns were analyzed using kernel-density functions. The population density was estimated as 14.09 (95% CI 10–22.25) individuals per 100 km2. Habitat use revealed a positive association with forest cover and negative association with elevation. This may expose the species to other large carnivores in the habitat but honey badger activity pattern peaked at midnight retaining minimum temporal overlap with other large carnivores (e.g., tiger Panthera tigris, leopard Panthera pardus, and dhole Cuon alpinus) and moderate overlap with small carnivores (e.g., jungle cat Felis chaus, rusty-spotted cat Prionailurus rubiginosus). These behaviors, in turn, may facilitate the coexistence of species at such high density even with high carnivore density. We hope the findings of this study will fill the existing knowledge gap of this species and aid in guiding the conservation of the species in other landscapes and reserves.

中文翻译：

---

印度中部干燥落叶林中蜜獾的种群估计、栖息地利用和活动模式

在印度，对食肉动物的研究偏向于较大的物种，从而限制了较小物种的生态信息。缺乏基本的生态理解，如小型食肉动物的种群密度、分布、栖息地利用模式。这种知识不足导致了不同景观中保护方法之间的分歧。蜜獾（Mellivora capensis）是分布在非洲和亚洲大片地区的神秘食肉动物。然而，基本的生态知识很少。该物种被认为在其整个范围内以低人口密度存在。我们使用来自印度马哈拉施特拉邦老虎保护区的大型相机陷阱数据集来了解该物种的种群密度、栖息地偏好和日常活动模式。我们应用了空间计数模型的扩展来估计人口。使用广义线性模型进行栖息地偏好分析，使用核密度函数分析活动模式。人口密度估计为每 100 平方公里 14.09 (95% CI 10–22.25) 个人。栖息地利用与森林覆盖率呈正相关，与海拔呈负相关。这可能会将物种暴露于栖息地中的其他大型食肉动物，但蜜獾活动模式在午夜达到顶峰，与其他大型食肉动物（例如，虎 Panthera tigris、豹 Panthera pardus 和 dhole Cuon alpinus）保持最小的时间重叠，并与小型食肉动物适度重叠（例如，丛林猫 Felis chaus、锈斑猫 Prionailurus rubiginosus）。这些行为反过来，即使食肉动物密度很高，也可能促进物种在如此高密度下的共存。我们希望这项研究的结果将填补该物种现有的知识空白，并有助于指导该物种在其他景观和保护区的保护。