Top 40 Interesting Badger Facts
One of the most interesting badger facts is that they received their name by being referred to as an annoyance. They were once used in a cruel and inhumane European sport where the badger would be confined or leashed and then dogs would be bet on to fight them until one or the other died. Although these nocturnal creatures either are thought of as an annoyance or go unnoticed completely, they are actually quite intriguing. Below are the 40 most interesting badger facts that you may enjoy about these fascinating little creatures.
- There are eight different badger species, all belonging to the weasel family.
- Badgers are found in North America, Great Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, China, Japan and Indonesia.
- Some badgers prefer to live in solitary while others will join a clan of 2 to 15 other badgers.
- Badgers are fiercely protective animals over their young and have been known to fight an animal as stately as a bear or a wolf.
- In most countries, badgers are now protected, making it illegal to injure, kill or take one out of its habitat.
- Through the 1960s and 1970s in Europe, badgers were gassed to control rabies.
- One of the more disturbing badger facts is that they are still a food source in China and are available nearly everywhere in market places because they are not protected there.
- Badgers have a thick, short neck, short legs and short bushy tail.
- One of the more well-known and distinctive badger facts is that they wear a white stripe from the top of their head down to their nose.
- Badgers can primarily be found in open plains and prairies.
- Male badgers are significantly larger than the females and can weigh 30 pounds or more.
- The honey badger is considered the most fierce hunter in the desert.
- Badgers live in burrows that they make by digging with all of their feet, not just the front ones like most animals.
- These charming creatures have very few predators.
- Badgers have a phenomenal sense of smell but horrible eyesight.
- The diet of a badger is omnivorous and can consist of insects, earthworms, grubs, reptiles, amphibians, birds, mice, squirrels, chipmunks, fruit, roots, porcupines, honey and snakes.
- One of the most fun badger facts is that they appear intoxicated after they eat rotten fruit.
- The gestation period for badgers is seven to eight weeks, resulting in anywhere from two to five cubs being born in either March or April.
- Badger cubs are born blind and don’t begin to see until they are a few months old.
- A female badger is referred to as a sow.
- These hungry creatures can eat more than 200 earthworms in one day.
- A male badger is referred to as a boar.
- Badgers are the fastest digging animals found anywhere in the world and can dig faster than a human with a shovel.
- A badger’s home is referred to as a sett.
- Some badgers will use their same burrow every year.
- Female badgers are capable of mating when they are four months old while males do not mate until they are two years old.
- Badgers can gallop or run at almost 20 miles per hour.
- Coyotes and American badgers have often been seen hunting together.
- Badgers can live to be 14 years old however, few make it this long.
- It is estimated that 45 percent of badgers are killed annually on roads by automobiles.
- American badgers have the ability to stay underground for 70 days however, they do not hibernate the way that most animals do.
- A badger can smell 800 times more than humans.
- The whiskers around the badger’s nose and eyes are very sensitive and help them to dig and find food easily.
- You can tell a badger’s age by its teeth.
- Badgers are excellent swimmers.
- Badgers’ hair has been used for centuries in the creation of shaving brushes. They are now only made and exported out of China.
- A badger can get all of the water that it needs by eating worms since they are primarily made of mostly water.
- Badgers can mate any time of the year but one of the most interesting badger facts is that they have delayed implantation so the female chooses when she wants the baby to start developing. This allows her to wait until there are adequate food services, thus giving her baby the best chance for survival.
- These animals typically live their lives in a one to two mile radius as long as there is food.
- Badgers often prey on hibernating animals in the winter.
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