You might have seen badgers digging in the woods.Badgers are wild animals that are well-known diggers. They are born to dig, you could say.These animals are known to be even dominant to foxes. So it is very important to have a keen sense of how these animals look, right? They hunt for food during the night. Badgers are known to be aggressive in nature. So these animals have very few predators. The coyote, bear, bobcat, and eagle are some of the predators that eat badgers. After reading about badgers, also check out what do baby bed bugs look like and what do oysters eat?What is a badger?Before we go on to talk about badgers, it is possible that many of you might not be familiar with these species. Firstly let us talk about what a badger is.Badgers are small mammals belonging to the Mustelidae family. They are carnivore creatures that belong to the weasel family. They are omnivores and eat animals, birds, insects, and small seeds and berries. Badgers eat a variety of things but the diet preference can change in different types of badgers. There are eight species of these badgers.They are the Eurasian badger, American badger, honey badger, hog badger, three types of ferret badger, Indonesian stink badger, and the Calamian stink badger. Badgers live in the United States, British Columbia, and also southeast Asia. Badgers prefer to live in dry open country areas like grasslands. But they can adapt very well and are seen in other areas like woods, moorland, and sea cliffs. These species are nocturnal and are active during the nighttime.What does a badger look like?We know what a badger is but what do these animals look like? What are some characteristics of the badger’s appearance?Badgers are animals with short legs. They have white stripes on their body and sharp claws. The long claws of this animal help them in the digging process. The sharp and long claws make it easy to dig for food and also to dig burrows. The bodies of badgers are flat and wedge-shaped. The feet of this animal are broad. They have coarse hair that can be black, brown, gold, or white. Badgers can grow up to 20-34 in (50.8-86.3 cm). The tails can be 4-6 in (10-15 cm) in length.The weight of a badger is between 20–24 lb (9–11 kg). This is the general appearance of a badger. But this is not exactly how each of the badgers looks. Depending on the type of badger, the appearance can have some changes. These animals are seen in various colors too.How to identify a badger?An American badger is muscular, short-necked, and has a flat body with a broadhead. The American badger has a gray-shaded body with a dark face and feet. The white stripe of the badger extends from the nose to the back. Badgers prefer a solitary life.The European badger also has a gray body but they have large black and white facial stripes. Unlike the American badger, these badgers are social animals. The ferret badger species are brownish to blackish gray in color. They have white markings on the face and throat. Sometimes the markings are also seen in the back of the animal. These badgers are also smaller compared to the American and European badgers. The hog badger has pale claws. It is gray to black in color.The head of the badger has a black and white striped pattern. The throat, ears, and tail are white in color. The stink badger is brown to black in color. They have whiteheads and sometimes a white stripe on their back. A honey badger on the other hand is divided into two colors. The upper part of the body has a white shade and the lower parts including the face and legs are black in color. By looking at these features, one can easily identify the badger.Facts About A BadgerBadgers are known for one particular activity and that is digging. The front feet of American badgers are very strong. Using these front feet, they can dig tunnels through the soil and other durable areas. The badgers dig and create tunnels known as setts or dens.The sett is used for catching prey and sleeping. They dig many burrows and do not live in the same place. During the summer, they dig many burrows within the same range. When it comes to hunting, they hunt for food at night. Honey badgers like to hunt alone while other badgers forage as a group. The Eurasian badgers are known to consume rabbits and hedgehogs apart from their normal diet. Badgers are generally carnivores but some species of the badgers like the Chinese ferret badger also eat fruits and plants that make them omnivores.Honey badgers, on the other hand, change their diet according to the availability of food. They also store food inside the sett to consume later. One can sometimes also see a unique partnership between a coyote and a badger. They team up together and hunt for food in the wild. The speed of a coyote to catch the prey and the hiding of food in the setts by a badger together makes a win-win situation for both of them. Honey badgers are known to be very aggressive creatures. If the male badger feels that the female badger is threatened, they can turn wild and aggressive.The male will defend the threatened female with force. They can sometimes attack humans in such cases. These strong badgers are very tough and can also recover from venom. Some species like Eurasian badgers are very social and friendly; they will even share their setts. If food is scarce, then they prefer to be alone but if there is plenty of food, they love to share. The badgers mainly give birth during the wintertime. One to five young ones are born in each birth. The babies are called cubs. The cubs stay inside the chamber when they are born. After the cubs are eight weeks old, they come out of the setts.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for what does a badger look like then why not take a look at what does a possum look like, or badger facts.
You might have seen badgers digging in the woods.
