Data from: Reproductive biology including evidence for superfetation in the European badger Meles meles (Carnivora: Mustelidae)

The reproductive biology of the European badger (Meles meles) is of wide
interest because it is one of the few mammal species that show delayed
implantation and one of only five which are suggested to show
superfetation as a reproductive strategy. This study aimed to describe the
reproductive biology of female Irish badgers with a view to increasing our
understanding of the process of delayed implantation and superfetation. We
carried out a detailed histological examination of the reproductive tract
of 264 female badgers taken from sites across 20 of the 26 counties in the
Republic of Ireland. The key results show evidence of multiple blastocysts
at different stages of development present simultaneously in the same
female, supporting the view that superfetation is relatively common in
this population of badgers. In addition we present strong evidence that
the breeding rate in Irish badgers is limited by failure to conceive,
rather than failure at any other stages of the breeding cycle. We show few
effects of age on breeding success, suggesting no breeding suppression by
adult females in this population. The study sheds new light on this
unusual breeding strategy of delayed implantation and superfetation, and
highlights a number of significant differences between the reproductive
biology of female Irish badgers and those of Great Britain and Swedish
populations.