Mesomammals. You will know them by their fingerprints. The badger.

A good environmental inventory for an environmental impact study must take into account all the biodiversity in an area. Usually, the group to which the most effort is devoted are birds. But we must also pay attention to mesomammals.

Mesomammals, a difficult group

Mesomammals are a difficult group to study, because seeing them is complicated. In Environmental Ideas, we approach it from different perspectives. First, we collect all the available information about mesomammals in the area (Atlas, National or Regional Inventories, articles about that area, etc.) To complete these data, we carry out fieldwork, basically using phototrapping and walking tours.

Fieldwork in search of mesomammals

Fieldwork with mesomammals requires experience that takes time to acquire. Phototrapping gives us very valuable information, easy to interpret, since you have an image of an animal and you can identify it, almost always. But this is specific information.

To assess the areas most attractive to mesomammals, especially to identify corridors, for example in areas where we evaluate photovoltaic power plants of tens of hectares, walking tours must be carried out and the footprints and other traces that we are finding must be identified. And this is sometimes easy and many times it's difficult, but it's always fun.

The badger, one of the easiest to detect

To start this series, we are going to explain to you how to identify the traces of one of the easiest and most joyful species to find, the badger (Meles meles). Several circumstances make this mesomammalian easy to identify:

• It is a robust animal, so it marks its mark well.
• He usually uses roads to get around and therefore the tracks are long and with a lot of tracks, so in the end, there is always one that is in good condition to know that it is made of badger.
• The tracks left by the badger are different from all the others, because badgers are semi-plantigrade. This mesomammal is a mustelid and therefore has 5 fingers that are aligned and with long and strong nails, which are always marked on the ground.
• The imprint, when perfectly marked, allows us to see, the nails, the fingers, the pad and the heel, the latter, not always. As in many species, the handprint is often covered by the imprint of the hind leg and this means that the size and shape can be altered, we must be aware of this to avoid confusion, although in this species, the large size of the prints makes it difficult to confuse it with another.

Badgers need big nails to dig, they build big burrows where family clans settle for decades. The badgers, with several entrances, breeding chambers and rest areas, are authentic fortresses in which they take refuge and breed.

They feed on insects, carrion, fruits, grains, and can prey on vultures. They are completely nocturnal, almost blind and with a sensational sense of smell. And very calm in the presence of humans. They tend to follow their path, without accelerating their pace, when you meet them at night. Unfortunately, many are killed when they are hit on roads.