Mammals of North America: American Badger

The American Badger is a member of the weasel family. Although, mainly displaying nocturnal habits, some American Badgers are quite active during daylight hours. Their burrows or homes are know as setts and they will occasionally take up residence in the abandoned burrow of other small mammals. Although, not hibernators, American Badgers become less active during periods of cold weather, and spend long hours in a state of torpor or dormancy, conserving energy.

GNU Licensed Photo An American Badger displays distinct facial markings.

• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Links
  • Privacy
  • Site Map
• Crosswords
  • Easy
  • Movies
  • Sports
  • Television
  • Themed
• Games
• Kids
• Library
  • Books
  • Economics
  • Geography
  • Nature
• More Puzzles
  • Anagrams
  • Logic
  • Sudoku
  • Word Search

Range

The American Badger ranges from Northern Mexico to central Canada, and is known to inhabit parts of the central and western sections of the United States, from the west coast through Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri to parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The preferred habitat of the American Badger seems to be any areas with porous soils good for digging such as open grassland areas, or prairies of the Great Plains, as well as near the edge of woodlands.

Description

The American Badger has a stocky heavy body on short powerful legs, with a short bushy tail and sharp teeth and claws. A gray to brown coat is set off by distinctive head markings as shown in the photo at right. Badgers have a long nose with an excellent sense of smell, as well as keen hearing and eyesight. An adult may grow in length from 23 to 30 inches or 60-75 cm. Males average a bit more in weight than females of the species. The weight of an adult male American badger can average around 20 pounds for a male and 15 pounds for adult females of the species in late fall after a spring and summer spent feeding.

Young

The average litter born to a female American Badger is generally one to five. The mother alone takes care of the young until they venture away on their own at around six months of age. Except during breeding season and when very young and in need of a mother's care, badgers are solitary animals, living in underground dens. An individual badger may have several setts in various locations in which to sleep and store food.

Feeding Habits

The American badger is classified as a carnivore, although they have been known to feed on cultivated garden plants, such as green beans. Their sense of smell, powerful legs and sharp claws helps make them quite adept at digging out underground prey.

Badgers feed on small mammals such as mice, moles, pocket gophers, prairie dogs, squirrels, voles, and a number of burrowing rodents. Badgers will dig for prey in any areas conducive to the activity, where the soil can be easily removed. American badgers will also feed on ground-nesting birds and are not opposed to making a meal out of the prevailing reptile, amphibian, and fish species in their native regions. They have also been known to feed on available insects.

Badgers have been known to hunt in a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship with coyotes. Not being adept sprinters, coyotes will give chase to prey and if it makes it into an underground den and escapes the clutches of coyotes, a badger may then dig it out.

Predators

Badgers seldom serve as prey for other predators. However, human destruction of their habitats that force them into human populated areas results in their falling victim to automobiles. Bears, bobcats, cougars, coyotes, and gray wolves have been known to prey on badgers. However, coyotes have also been known to share the same den with a badger without incident.

Relatives

A member of the Mustelidae family, badgers are related to ferrets, weasels and wolverines.

Sub-species of the American Badger include the Taxidea taxus berlandieri found in northern Mexico northward into the southwestern United States, Taxidea taxus jacksoni known in the Great Lakes region of the U.S., and Taxidea taxus jeffersonia, which ranges on the west coast of the United States and Canada.

More Information

For more in-depth information on the American badger, visit:

• Encyclopedia of Life
• University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web "Taxidea taxus"
• University of Texas at El Paso Centennial Museum and Gardens

Fun Fact: The badger is the official mascot of the University of Wisconsin, at Madison, Wisconsin, Johnson State College in Johnson, Vermont, and Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama.