Everything about Badger totally explained
Badger is the
common name for any animal of three subfamilies, which belong to the family
Mustelidae: the same
mammal family as the
ferrets, the
weasels, the
otters, and several other types of
carnivore. There are eight
species of badger, in three subfamilies: Melinae (badgers of Europe and Asia – see links in
species list below), Mellivorinae (the
Ratel or honey badger), and Taxideinae (the
American badger). The Asiatic
stink badgers of the genus
Mydaus were formerly included in the Melinae, but recent genetic evidence indicates that these are actually Old World relatives of the
skunks (family Mephitidae).
Typical badgers (
Meles,
Arctonyx,
Taxidea and
Mellivora species) are short-legged and heavy-set. The
lower jaw is articulated to the upper by means of a transverse
condyle firmly locked into a long cavity of the
cranium, so that dislocation of the jaw is all but impossible. This enables the badger to maintain its hold with the utmost tenacity, but limits the jaw movement to
hinging open and shut or sliding from side to side.
Etymology
The name
badger is possibly
derived from the French word
blaireau being used in both senses. But more likely, the term comes from the French word
bêcheur (digger), introduced during
William the Conqueror's reign. An older term for "badger" is
brock (
Old English brocc), a
Celtic loanword (
Gaelic broc,
Welsh broch, from
Proto-Celtic *brokko). The
Proto-Germanic term was
*þahsu- (
German Dachs), probably from the
PIE root *tek'- "to construct," so that the badger would have been named after its digging of
setts (tunnels).
A male badger is a
boar, a female a
sow and a young badger is a
cub. The collective name for a group of badgers is a
clan,
colony, or
cete.
Classification
- Family Mustelidae
- (Subfamily Lutrinae: otters)
- Subfamily Melinae
- Subfamily Mellivorinae
- Ratel or Honey Badger, Mellivora capensis
- Subfamily Taxideinae:
- (Subfamily Mustelinae: weasels, martens, polecats and allies)
- Family Mephitidae
Behavior
The behavior of badgers differs by family, but all shelter underground, living in burrows called
setts. Some are solitary, moving from home to home, while others are known to form clans.
Clan size is variable between 2 to 15. Badgers are fierce animals and will protect themselves and their young at all costs. Badgers are capable of fighting off much larger animals such as
wolves,
coyotes and
bears.
Diet
North
American Badgers (Taxidea taxus) are
omnivores and prey predominantly on
pocket gophers (
Geomyidae), ground
squirrels (
Spermophilus),
moles (
Talpidae),
marmots (
Marmota),
prairie dogs (
Cynomys),
woodrats (
Neotoma),
kangaroo rats (
Dipodomys),
deer mice (
Peromyscus), and
voles (
Microtus). They also prey on ground-nesting birds (such as
bank swallow or sand martin Riparia riparia and
burrowing owl Athene cunicularia),
lizards,
amphibians,
carrion,
fish,
skunks (
Mephitis and
Spilogale),
insects, including
bees and
honeycomb, and some plant foods, such as
corn (maize,
Zea mais), peas, green beans,
mushrooms and other fungi, and
sunflower seeds (
Helianthus). Unlike many carnivores that stalk their prey in open country, badgers catch most of their food by digging. They can tunnel after ground dwelling rodents with amazing speed. They have been known to
cache food.
The
honey badger consumes
honey,
porcupines and even venomous
snakes (such as the
puff adder). They will climb trees to gain access to honey from bees' nests.
The diet of the
Eurasian badger consists largely of
earthworms,
insects, and
grubs. They also eat small mammals,
amphibians,
reptiles and
birds as well as
cereals,
roots and
fruit.
Badgers and humans
Many badgers in
Europe were gassed during the
1960s and
1970s to control
rabies. Until the
1980s, gassing was also practiced in the
UK to control the spread of
bovine TB.
Scandinavian custom is to put eggshells in one's boots when walking through badger territory, as badgers are believed to bite down until they can hear a crunch. Hunting badgers is common in many countries, either as a perceived
pest, or for
sport. Ostensibly badgers are protected in the
UK by the
Protection of Badgers Act 1992. (Otherwise an exemption allowing
fox hunters to loosely block setts to prevent chased foxes escaping into them was brought to an end with the passage of the
Hunting Act 2004). Meddling in badger population is prevented as badgers are listed in the
Berne Convention (Appendix III), but they're not otherwise the subject of any international treaty or legislation.
» See Eurasian badger for more details about badgers and bovine tuberculosis.
Badger-baiting is a
blood sport outlawed in the
United Kingdom by the
Cruelty to Animals Act 1835 as well as the
Protection of Badgers Act 1992.
The
Dachshund dog breed has a history with badgers; "
dachs" is the
German word for badger, and dachshunds were originally bred to be badger hounds.
(External Link
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Badgers are popular in
English language fiction. Many badger characters are featured in author
Brian Jacques'
Redwall series, most often falling under the title of
Badger Lord or
Badger Mother. One such badger contains 'Brock' in his name. Other stories featuring badgers include
The Boy Who Talked to Badgers (1975 movie),
The Tale of Mr. Tod,
The Wind in the Willows,
The Once and Future King,
The Animals of Farthing Wood,
Fantastic Mr. Fox,
The Book of Merlyn, and
The Chronicles of Narnia. In the
Harry Potter series, one of the four
"houses" of
Hogwarts,
Hufflepuff, is symbolised by a badger. The character Frances in
Russell Hoban's series of children's books is a badger. They also appear prominently in two volumes of
Erin Hunter's
Warriors: The New Prophecy series. A badger god is also featured as a major character and spirit guide for the lead character in
The Immortals series by
Tamora Pierce.
The most prominent poem on the badger is from the Romantic period's
John Clare. "
Badger" describes a badger hunt, complete with badger-baiting, and treats the badger as a noble creature who dies at the end.
Badger hair is used to make quality
shaving brushes and has even been used in some instances as
doll hair.
The badger is the state animal of
Wisconsin. Likenesses of badgers appear through the
Wisconsin State Capitol, and a badger appears on the head of the statue of Wisconsin atop the building.
The official mascot of the
University of Wisconsin-Madison is Buckingham U. Badger, AKA
Bucky Badger.
Urban legends
British forces were said to have released man-eating badgers in the vicinity of Basra, Iraq following the 2003 coalition invasion. This allegation has been denied by the British, and local scientists agree that the animals, Ratels, also known as Honey Badgers, are native to the area.Further Information
Get more info on 'Badger'.
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