American Badger
Taxidea taxus
California Department of Fish and Game "Species of Special Concern"
Life History
The badger is a somewhat large mustelid that has evolved for a semi-fossorial life. It
has powerful, short legs and claws measuring 1 to 1½ inches which
aid in digging; the hind feet have shovel-like claws. The body is stout and flat,
wider than high. Coloration of its shaggy coat is a silver gray with the head being dark with a
white stripe that often extends down the back. The snout of the badger is slightly upturned
and the eyes are small with nictating membranes, an adaptation for its fossorial
lifestyle. The skin of the badger is loose, particularly across the chest, shoulders, and back.
The tail is relatively short, moderately furred and somewhat yellowish. The legs are black.
The weight of adults can range from 12 to 24 pounds with the males weighing more on the
average.
The badger was once fairly widespread throughout the open grassland habitats of
California. Badgers are now an uncommon, permanent resident found throughout most of the
state, with the exception of the northern North coast area. They are most abundant in the
drier open stages of most shrub, forest, and herbaceous habitats with friable soils. Badgers
are generally associated with treeless regions, prairies, park lands, and cold desert areas.
Cultivated lands have been reported to provide little usable habitat for this species.
Badgers are basically solitary, nocturnal creatures, foraging at night and then remaining
underground during the daylight hours. Badgers dig burrows with 8-12" elliptical(wider than
tall) entrances in friable soils for cover. These burrows generally have a single entrance.
This animal
frequently reuses old burrows, although some have been known to dig a new den each night,
especially in summer. Soil excavated during formation of the den is piled at the entrance.
Often when a den is occupied in cold weather, the tunnel is partially plugged.
The badger is a highly specialized fossorial carnivore. They feed mainly on small
mammals, especially ground squirrels, pocket gophers, rats, mice, and chipmunks. Badgers
capture their prey by digging out the animal's burrows. The badger captures some of it's prey
above ground foraging on birds, eggs, reptiles, invertebrates, and carrion. It's diet will
shift seasonally and yearly depending upon prey availability and the badger buries surplus
food.
One to five young are born in an extensive burrow system. Mating occurs in late summer
or early autumn and is followed by delayed implantation. Implantation
then occurs in February with the young born in March or April. At birth the
young are furred but blind; they become independent by August.
The North American badger is somewhat tolerant of human activities. Predator control
with the usage of indiscriminate trapping and poisons along with habitat loss have caused
extensive losses. Additionally, vehicular accidents, farming operations, and indiscriminate
shootings are also causes of mortality. Being a fossorial animal, deaths caused by other
factors may easily go undetected. Larger predators such as coyotes
occasionally kill badgers.
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