Badger (Meles meles) predation on European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) during the Eemian interglacial (MIS 5e)

Abstract

Microstratigraphically classified fossil finds of Emys orbicularis from the open-cast lignite mine of Janschwalde and other sites of the Niederlausitz region (Brandenburg, E Germany) provide evidence for the occurrence of pond turtles during the last interglacial (Eemian, MIS 5e) for at least 4,600–5,200 years. Bite marks on the turtles’ upper and lower shells indicate predation by European badger (Meles meles). As part of a sophisticated killing technique, the predators smashed the nuchal area of the upper shell and the head of the turtles retracted underneath. The subsequent consumption of the soft body was initiated by opening the rear of the lower shell. The reconstructed preying behaviour would have only been possible in turtles up to a certain size and thus required the regular presence of small-bodied Emys individuals. Optimal prey specimens were of about 110 mm in shell length. Turtles with shells exceeding 135 mm and with some doming of the carapace were at lower risk, as a successful execution of the killing bite would not have been possible in these cases. The available Eemian record suggests that predation on European pond turtles was part of the badgers’ subsistence strategy for a period of at least 3,500–4,100 years. Although the demonstrated predator-prey relationship required narrowly defined environmental conditions, it occurred over a substantial portion of the last interglacial, a period of time characterised by temperate conditions and a certain climatic stability.