The ways of penetration and prospects of invasion of the Asian badger <i>Meles leucurus</i> Hodgson 1847 (Carnivora, Mustelidae) into the territory of Yakutia

Abstract

Two cases of the Asian badger findings in the territory of the South-Western Yakutia in 2000s were discussed, as well as the possibility of this species penetration into the taiga ecosystems of Yakutia. The findings were made in the Lena River valley and its left tributary, the Nyuya River. The most remote site is on the right side of the Lena River, over700 km downstream from the northernmost site where the species is reliably known to inhabit in the Lena River valley, and 300 km from the previous finding site in Yakutia (in the mid-20th century). The second site is located 80 km to the northwest of the first site, in the Nyuya River valley, 1 km from the nearest river, and 30 km from the Lena River. It can be assumed that the cases of badger migration to the territory of Yakutia are associated with climatic changes. There are three possible migration ways for the Asian badger from its primary geographic range into Yakutia: through the Lena River valley, where it can encounter biotopes resembling the forest-steppe habitats typical for this species; from the Nizhnyaya Tunguska River valley through the Nyuya and Chona Rivers into the valleys of the Lena and Vilyuy Rivers; and the third way, through the right-bank tributaries of the Lena River from the Patom Highlands. There are biotopes potentially suitable for the badger in the Central and Western Yakutia, but permafrost and limited food availability can be limiting factors hindering the expansion of the species northwards.