The American badger (Taxidea taxus) is a member of the Mustelidae, a diverse family of carnivorous mammals that also includes weasels, otters, ferrets, and the wolverine. It is similar in appearance to the European badger, although not closely related. American badgers prefer to live in areas such as prairie regions with sandy loam soils where they can dig more easily for their prey.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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FossorialA fossorial animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, ...
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BurrowingA burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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TorporTorpor is a state of decreased physiological activity in an animal, usually marked by a reduced body temperature and metabolic rate. Torpor enables...
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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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U.S. States AnimalsAmerican badgers have stocky and low-slung bodies with short, powerful legs, they are identifiable by their huge foreclaws (measuring up to 5 cm in length) and distinctive head markings. These animals possess morphological characteristics that enable them to be good fossorial specialists, such as a conical head, bristles on the ears, and nictitating membranes in the eyes. American badgers have powerful forelimbs. They also possess a strong humerus and large bony processes for the attachment of muscles. Except for the head, the American badger is covered with a grizzled, brown, black, and white coat of coarse hair or fur, giving almost a mixed brown-tan appearance. The coat aids in camouflage in grassland habitats. Its triangular face shows a distinctive black and white pattern, with brown or blackish "badges" marking the cheeks and a white stripe extending from the nose to the base of the head.
American badgers are widely distributed around northern Mexico, the west and central parts of the USA, the south-central part, and the west coast of Canada. These animals prefer grasslands and open areas with grasslands, which can include parklands, farms, and treeless areas with friable soil and a supply of rodent prey. They may also be found in forest glades and meadows, marshes, brushy areas, hot deserts, and mountain meadows. In Arizona, they occur in desert scrub and semidesert grasslands. Badgers are occasionally found in open chaparral (with less than 50% plant cover) and riparian zones but they are not usually found in mature chaparral.
Badgers are solitary animals. They lead nocturnal life, meaning that they are most active at nighttime. Meanwhile, in remote areas, far from human settlements, they are often seen in the daytime, wandering in search of food. Although not hibernators, badgers, with the approaching of winter, become passive and undergo short (about 29 hours long) periods of torpor. American badgers are top-notch diggers, using their strong front limbs, easily permeating through the soil. Their homes are burrows: holes dug in the ground. These underground holes serve as dwellings and protection. A usual burrow is located at the depth of 3 meters under the ground, containing a big ‘bedroom’, and a sleeping chamber, while the total length of all tunnels is about 10 meters. Each badger has several burrows all around the area of its living. When badgers feel danger, they attack and bite the object abruptly, accompanying it with fizzing and snarling.
American badgers are fossorial carnivores that often dig to pursue prey into their dens, and sometimes plug tunnel entrances with objects. Their usual ration consists of voles, deer mice, wood rats, prairie dogs, gophers, squirrels, moles, marmots, birds, and even insects.
The American badger is polygynous, meaning that one male can mate with multiple females. As the breeding season comes, both males and females begin to extend their home ranges in search of mates. Home ranges of males cover bigger territory and can overlap with the home ranges of neighboring females. Mating lasts from August to September and the gestation period is about 1.5 months (6 weeks). Thereafter, 1-5 cubs are born while the average number is 3 at once. Over the following 4-6 weeks eyes of the cubs are closed and the female looks after them until they are 2-3 months old, usually leaving them after another 2-3 months. A female badger reaches reproductive maturity when it’s 4 months old and mates during its 1st year while a male starts mating no sooner than the autumn of its 2nd year.
The major threat to American badgers is humans. People destroy their habitat, hunt them down and trap the badgers for pelts. American badgers are also poisoned by farmers and hit by cars. In addition, the fur of badgers is used in the production of painting and shaving brushes.
According to IUCN Red List, the American badger is locally common throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. The U.S. population was roughly estimated at several hundred thousand individuals. The Canadian population, according to a 1998 questionnaire, was estimated at 13,700-28,900 individuals in Saskatchewan province and 3,000-5,000 individuals in Manitoba province, providing an estimated Canadian Prairie population of 17,700-43,900 individuals. In Canada, the subspecies T. t. jacksoni in Ontario is estimated to be 200 individuals and the subspecies T. t. jeffersonii in British Columbia contains 600 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.
American badger feeds on small animals such as snakes, and rodents, thus controlling their populations. They also eat carrion and insects. Their dens are used by other species as shelter while due to digging, badgers loosen the soil. When hunting, the American badger frequently cooperates with coyotes, these two hunt simultaneously in the same area. Actually, this unusual collaboration makes the process of hunting way easier. Thus, targeted rodents break out of burrows, are attacked by badgers, and fall into the hands of coyotes. In their turn, badgers prey on rodents that flee into the dens. However, it’s a moot point whether this collaboration is really advantageous for badgers.
