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North American badger - TAXIDEA TAXUS
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Badger": "Badger" is of unknown origin, although it might be related to the word "badge," as its markings could look like a "badge." This seems a long stretch, however.
Location: Western and central North America.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Plains, grasslands, and tundra.
Description: The shaggy coat is grayish or brownish with a white stripe on the head often extending down the back. The body is stout with short legs. The front feet are partially webbed and have long, curved claws, and the hind feet have shovel-like claws. There are two white-ringed black markings on the face. The length of the head and body is 24 to 30 inches with the tail about five inches. The weight is 15 to 25 pounds.
Behavior: The badger's diet is varied and includes squirrels and other rodents, lizards, insects, birds' eggs, and nestlings. When frightened it can be quite aggressive, snarling and growling. It is normally solitary except during the mating season, when pairs may form. It is a good swimmer, and is active both by day and by night. It lives in dens in burrows. The fur has little commercial value. The main predators of the American badger are coyotes and eagles, but the main enemy of this species is the automobile. Traps, guns, and poisoned bait have also played a large part in greatly reducing its numbers.
Reproduction: Mating occurs in late summer or early autumn, and up to five young are born in March or April. The young are born with fur, but blind. They are independent by August.
Go to the Carnivore Page to learn more about all the meat-eating animals.
Or go to the Badger Index to study other
badgers.
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