| Caucasian badger | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Genus: | Meles |
| Species: | M. canescens |
| Binomial name | |
| Meles canescens Blanford, 1875 | |
 | |
| European badger range (also includes Caucasian badger range) | |
TheCaucasian badger (Meles canescens) orSouthwest Asian badger is a species ofbadger native toWestern Asia and some islands in theMediterranean Sea.
The Caucasian badger was formerly thought to be a subspecies of theEuropean badger (M. meles), along with the other subspecies also classified within it. However, a 2013 study found significant genetic divergence between both species. It is thought that both diverged during thePleistocene, between 2.37 million years ago to 450,000 years ago.[1] TheAmerican Society of Mammalogists recognises it as a distinct species.[2]
This species is smaller than the European badger, with a dirty-greyish back and brown highlights; its head is identical to the European badger, though with weaker crests; its upper molars are elongated in a similar way as theAsian badger's. Its fur can be distinguished from the Asian andJapanese badgers by its facial mask, which resembles that of the European badger.[1][3]
The Caucasian badger ranges fromAnatolia north to theCaucasus Mountains, south to theLevant and west-centralIran, and east through theTian Shan mountains. It also occurs on theMediterranean islands ofCrete andRhodes. The boundary of its range to theEuropean badger is thought to be in theNorth Caucasus, but a clear boundary has not been defined, as both are known to besympatric in some places, and potentialhybrids have been identified.[1] It was also recorded inAfghanistan.[4]
Of the eight European badger subspecies recognized in 2005,[5] four are now thought to belong to the Caucasian badger.[1]
| Subspecies | Source | Description | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transcaucasian badger (M. c. canescens)
| Blanford, 1875[6] minor (Satunin, 1905)ponticus (Blackler, 1916) | A small subspecies with a dirty-greyish back and brown highlights; its head is identical to the common badger, though with weaker crests; its upper molars are elongated in a similar way as the Asian badger's.[3] | Transcaucasia, theKopet Dag,Turkmenistan,Iran,Afghanistan andAsia Minor |
| Cretan badger (M. c. arcalus)
| Miller, 1907[7] | Crete | |
| Rhodes badger (M. c. rhodius) | Festa, 1914[8] | Rhodes | |
| Fergana badger (M. c. severzovi) | Heptner, 1940[9] bokharensis (Petrov,1953) | A small subspecies with a relatively pure, silvery-grey back with no yellow sheen. The head stripes are wide and occupy the whole ear. Its skull exhibits several features which are transitory between the Asian and European badger.[3] | Right tributaries of thePanj and upperAmu Darya rivers, thePamir-Alay system, theFergana Valley and adjoining mountains[9] |
