- The badger is a handsome wild animal with a distinctive appearance,
and yet because it is a nocturnal animal, very few people have ever
seen one.
- They have a greyish body, dark haired legs and underparts and a white
head with a dark stripe over the eye on both sides.
- The average length of an adult badger is 69 - 71 cm., making it one
of the larger wild animals in Britain.
- Badgers are powerfully built with short but very strong limbs and
sharp clawed feet.
- The small head, short neck, long wedge shaped body, and a very short
tail make badgers excellent diggers, able to move heavy material in
confined spaces.
- They have poor eyesight as they are nocturnal and most of their time
is spent underground in their setts, however their poor eyesight is
compensated for by their acute hearing and excellent sense of smell.
Badgers are very heavy for their size
- Their weight changes frequently depending on the food available in
their area, and also on the time of year. On average an adult badger
will weigh between 6.5 and 13.9 kilograms.
- Badgers are scattered around Great Britain, being most common in
the south and south western counties of England and Wales.
- They live in a wide range of habitats. In Britain, setts are found
in woods, copses, hedgerows, quarries, sea cliffs, moorland in mountainous
areas, open fields, green belts in city boundaries, and housing estates.
- Occasionally they will make their setts on the embankments of canals,
railways and roads, Iron Age forts, mines, rubbish dumps, coal tips,
and under major roads and buildings
- Badgers are omnivores feeding mainly on earthworms.
- They also commonly take young rabbits, mice, rats, voles, moles,
hedgehogs, frogs, slugs, and snails.
- Occasionally they will take poultry and eggs.
- The plant food they eat includes most fruits, acorns, bulbs, oats
and wheat.
- Badgers give birth to between 1 and 5 cubs during January and March.
- The reason for their success is their amazing adaptability to different
habitats.
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