Badger

		SIZE

		HEIGHT:	8-12 in.
		LENGTH:	18-26 in.
		WEIGHT:	13-25 lbs.

		BREEDING

		MATURITY:	N/A
		MATING:	Young are born Feb.-May, depending on altitude and latitude.
		GESTATION:	N/A
		# OF YOUNG :	2-5 young at a time. Blind at birth.

		LIFESTYLE

		HABIT:	Mostly nocturnal, but often roam around during the day. Excellent digger. Solitary.
		DIET:	Mainly small rodents.
		LIFESPAN:	Up to 12 years in captivity.

		SCIENTIFIC NAME

		FAMILY:	Classified as "Taxidea taxus". Related to the "European badger"

		GENERAL INFORMATION

		The badger prefers open plains, farmlands and the edges of woods. They can also reside in mountainous areas up as far as the arctic-alpine zone, farmland, marshy areas, prairies and deserts. The American badger can be found right across the western two-thirds of the US, and the range extends into Canada in the North and Mexico in the south. The American Badger is the largest member of the "weasel" family. It has a distinctive black-and-white face and a white stripe from its nose to its shoulders. The wild, flat body is yellowish gray that becomes more yellowish on the tail and belly. It has short black legs with extremely long front claws, which it uses for digging rodents from the ground. The open burrows dug are very dangerous to rancher's livestock. It feeds on ground squirrels, gophers, rats, mice, birds, and even rattlesnakes. Its long hair protects it from snakebites, unless a snake strikes it directly on the nose. This very ferocious animal has few enemies. They have been known to attack and kill animals as big as a horse. The Badger forages day and night, but is more nocturnal where humans threaten it. A badger can weigh up to 25 pounds and defends itself when cornered. Weights vary greatly. Except in those parts of its range where the badger lives in warm conditions all year round, the animal puts on a great deal of body fat over the summer to see it through the winter, and weights are at their greatest at the onset of the cold season. American badgers are loners, leading solitary lives except when males and females meet up to mate, and when females are rearing their young. Although they generally avoid contact with each other, American badgers occupy large ranges that sometimes overlap. If one badger meets another, they will attack each other. Its hair is used to make paintbrushes, and the coarse bristles were formerly used in shaving brushes. Forest succession and encroachment into grasslands is reducing the habitat of the badger, an animal vital in controlling rodent populations.

"My 3 year old son and I participated in the Bear & Bruin Camp during the Summer of 2005. The staff were excellent! The attention and activities that were provided by the staff were wonderful, definatley a worth while experience."

Angi K.
Deadwood, SD