Short communications: A microsatellite perspective on the reproductive success of subordinate male honey badgers, Mellivora capensis

Abstract

The dominance hierarchy system of male honey badgers, Mellivora capensis, does  not appear to determine reproductive success in the species as subordinate males are frequently seen to gain brief access to receptive females. To establish whether these interac tions lead to fertilization, five microsatellite loci were used to infer paternity in a honey badger population from the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. In total, 26 individuals comprising 10 cubs, eight known mothers and eight potential fathers were analysed. Exclusion analysis and a likelihood based approach identified the dominant male in the study population as the most likely father of 50% of the cubs (≥80% likelihood confidence). The remaining five cubs were most likely fathered by four different subordi nate males (≥80% likelihood confidence). The  results suggest that the brief mating opportunities afforded to subordinate males lead to fertilization, and hence that the dominance hierarchy system of the honey badger is not strong enough to exclude sneak fertilizations.

Key words: Mustelidae, ratel, paternity, dominance hierarchy.