American Badger
Taxidea taxus
Summary 3
The American badger (Taxidea taxus) is a North American badger, somewhat similar in appearance to the European badger. It is found in the western and central United States, northern Mexico, and south-central Canada to certain areas of southwestern British Columbia.
Prefers open areas and may also frequent brushlands with little groundcover. When inactive, occupies underground burrow. Badgers are known to inhabit regions ranging from below sea level to elevations 3,600 m (Kyle et al., 2004). They are usually found in relative dry, grasslands and open forests (Rahme et al. 1995). Taxidea may be active at any hour but is mainly nocturnal.
American badger habitat is typefied by open grasslands with available prey (such as mice, squirrels, and groundhogs). The species prefers areas with sandy loam soils where it can dig more easily for its prey, such as prairie regions.
Its movements are restricted, especially in winter, and it shows a strong attachment to a home area. Estimated home ranges vary from 2 to 725 ha changing seasonally (Sargeant and Warne, 1972). The badger is active all year, but it may sleep in its den for several days or weeks during severe winter weather (Nowak, 2005). Most food is obtained by excavating the burrows of fossorial rodents. Also eaten are other small mammals, birds, reptiles and arthropods.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Erin and Lance Willett, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/60477398@N00/2589699140
- (c) nataliemarisa, all rights reserved
- Adapted by nataliemarisa from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxidea_taxus
More Info
iNat Map
| Endangered status | least concern |
|---|---|
| Taxa | mammal |
