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Badger Facts

Badger Facts
Badger is small mammal that belongs to the weasel family. There are 11 species of badger divided in three subfamilies: Eurasian badgers (9 species), African badger (honey badger) and American badger. As their names suggest, badgers can be found in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. They inhabits dry, open grasslands, woodlands and hedgerows. European badger was part of human diet during the WWII, when other sources of food were scarce. Badger meat is still consumed in some parts of Russia. Badger is occasionally on a target of hunters because of its fur that is used for the manufacture of shaving brushes, paint brushes and various garments. Despite these factors, nearly all species of badger are widespread and numerous in the wild.
Interesting Badger Facts:
Badger can reach 20 to 34 inches in length (not including the tail of 4 to 6 inches) and 9 to 39 pounds of weight.
Badger is covered with grey, coarse coat. It has black face with white markings, light stripe on dorsal side of the body, light-colored belly and dark-colored legs.
Badger has elongated head, small ears, stocky, wedge-shaped body, short legs and broad feet equipped with long claws.
Badger is active during the night (nocturnal animal).
Badger has excellent sense of smell which facilitates detection of food.
Badgers are omnivores. Their diet is based on earthworms, insects, slugs, fruit, berries and bulbs. Honey badger is a carnivore famous for its ferocious nature and ability to defeat jackals, foxes, crocodiles and snakes, which are part of its diet. It also likes to eat honey, hence the name "honey badger".
Badger can run short distances at the speed of 19 miles per hour.
Most species of badger are social animals that live in groups, called clans (or cete), of 2 to 15 animals. American badger is solitary creature.
Badger digs underground burrows called "setts" that consist of network of tunnels and chambers that are used for resting and rearing of young. 6 animals usually share one sett.
Badger regularly eliminates dry plants and other waste material from its sett to keep it clean from lice and other parasites. It defecates and eats outside the sett for the same reason. Some setts in the wild are centuries old and still in use.
Badger does not hibernate, but it may spend few days or weeks inside a sett during the winter.
Wolves, bears, lynxes and birds of prey are natural enemies of badger.
Badgers can mate all year round, but they produce only one offspring per year.
Pregnancy lasts 7 to 8 weeks and ends with 1 to 6 babies (cubs). Most babies are born between January and March. Cubs spend first 8 weeks of their life inside a sett. Young badgers reach sexual maturity at the age of 12 to 18 months.
Badger can survive up to 14 years in the wild.


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