Meles meles
The Eurasian Badger is a common but very shy predator. It is a compact animal with short legs and a long snout, about 30 cm high at the shoulder and 67–90 cm long, and has a tail measuring about 11–20 cm. The weight can vary greatly depending on age, sex, and season. The female weighs between 6 and 14 kg, the male from 9 to 17 kg, but in the autumn, when they are at their heaviest, the male can reach 20 kg.
Eurasian Badgers have a white head with a pronounced black stripe from the snout over the eyes and ears to the back of the neck. The ears have white edges. The coat is mottled grey on the back and sides, the tail mottled a slightly lighter grey, and the belly and legs are black.
Eurasian Badgers prefer mixed woodland with undergrowth and some clearings, fields, or meadows. They are generally nocturnal, but in the northern regions of Scandinavia the nights are short, so they have to forage during the day.
A Eurasian Badger setting out to forage. LG.
Eurasian Badgers feed primarily on earthworms, but they also consume insects, snails, frogs, moles, and carrion, and will plunder bird and mouse nests on the ground. They also unearth wasp and bumblebee nests.
The print of a Eurasian Badger’s front foot, with the hind foot placed on top but slightly further back. VO.
Eurasian Badgers also eat a variety of plants, especially wild oats, corn, and legumes, as well as fruit and berries.
Eurasian Badgers live in family groups comprising a dominant male with one or more females and their offspring. They live in territories with boundaries marked with scent or scat.
Badgers do not hibernate but may remain in their den for several days when there is a bitter frost or heavy snow.
A badger’s prints resemble those of a small bear, but the front footprint is sometimes missing the impression of the ball. Eurasian Badgers have 5 long and powerful toes on each foot. The front footprint is 4–6 cm wide and about 5 cm long, or 7 cm if the heel print is also visible. The claws on the front feet can be up to 3 cm long. The prints of the claws of the 4 outermost toes form an arc separate from the pad, but the prints of the hind claws are generally fainter. The prints of the hind feet are somewhat smaller than those of the front, about 3.5–4 cm long and 4.5 cm wide without the heel pad. When the heel pad is visible, the whole print is about 6.5 cm long. The stride is about 40–60 cm, when trotting, 70–90 cm.
Eurasian Badgers usually move slowly when foraging, placing the hind feet behind the front. When they move quickly, the prints of the hind feet overlap those of the front, and when they run, badgers actually place the hind feet ahead of the front, and all the prints might be clearly distinguished. Unlike other members of the marten family, badgers hardly ever jump.
A Eurasian Badger’s scat is black and slimy after it has eaten a lot of earthworms. If its food sources are more varied, the scat is sausage-shaped, about 2 cm thick and up to 10 cm long. Normally the scat is pointed at one end, but never twisted. It can contain hair, bones, undigested parts of insects, as well as the stones of fruit. The scat is deposited in small latrine trenches about 10–15 cm deep dug along paths either close to the den or along the edge of the territory. The latrine is not covered and is used repeatedly.
Eurasian Badger tracks. PH.
The badger builds a burrow system (called a set) that is enlarged each year; it can be several metres deep and have several entrances. The passages can be more than 100 m long in very large sets. The set is often situated on a slope with underbrush, but badgers can also live under abandoned buildings in woodland, or in sheds, garages, etc., at the edges of settlements or in areas with holiday cottages as well as in rocky terrain and in cavities under large rocks.
Eurasian Badger scat. PB.
Latrine of Eurasian Badger. L-HO.
Inside the set, one or more living quarters are cushioned with dried grass, straw, moss, and the like. The badger drags these materials backwards into the burrow; this is why you always see a deep rut in front of the entrance. Older nesting material is removed and may be found scattered around the entrance.
Unlike fox dens, a badger’s set will have no remains of food in the front, and a set does not smell like an active fox den.
There are clear markings on larger trees close to the burrow; this is where the badger cleans earth off its claws. These scratches might also serve as a form of territorial marking.
In the course of foraging, if the badger happens upon a wasp or bumblebee nest, these will be completely excavated. The badger eats larvae and pupae, and occasionally the entire nest. The Honey Buzzard behaves in an identical fashion, so to learn which animal was responsible for the destruction, you must look for other clues; however, Honey Buzzard usually leaves more remains at its nest site than a badger typically would.
When searching for beetle larvae and earthworms, the badger leaves small funnel-shaped holes in the grass with its feet. In cow pastures, the badger flips over or churns up cowpats looking for worms and larvae. Mushrooms may also be knocked over in the search for snails.
Well-trodden paths often lead from the set through the landscape to favoured feeding areas.
A deep rut can always be seen in front of an old badger set. LG.
