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Badger

Badger is the common name for any animal of three subfamilies, which belong to the family Mustelidae: the same mammal family (biology)|family as the ferrets, the weasels, the otters, and several other types of Carnivora|carnivore. There are eight species of badger, in three subfamilies: Melinae (badgers of Europe and Asia – see links in #Classification|species list below), Mellivorinae (the Ratel or honey badger), and Taxideinae (the American Badger|American badger). The Asiatic Javan Stink Badger|stink badgers of the genus ''Mydaus'' were formerly included in the Melinae, but recent genetic evidence indicates that these are actually Old World relatives of the skunks (family Mephitidae). Typical badgers (''Meles'', ''Arctonyx'', ''Taxidea'' and ''Mellivora'' species) are short-legged and heavy-set. The mandible|lower jaw is articulated to the upper by means of a transverse Mandibular condyle|condyle firmly locked into a long cavity of the skull|cranium, so that dislocation of the jaw is all but impossible. This enables the badger to maintain its hold with the utmost tenacity, but limits the jaw movement to hinge joint|hinging open and shut or sliding from side to side.

Etymology

The derivation (linguistics)|derivation of the word ''badger'' is uncertain. It possibly comes from the French word ''blaireau'': "corn-hoarder", or from the French word ''bêcheur'' (digger), introduced during William the Conqueror's reign.BBC Natural World, 2008, Badgers: Secrets of the Sett The Oxford English Dictionary, however, states that the most likely derivation is from ''badge'' + ''-ard'', in reference to the white mark borne like a badge on its forehead. Online at http://dictionary.oed.com (subscription required). An older term for "badger" is ''brock'' (Old English ''brocc''), a Celtic languages|Celtic loanword (Goidelic languages|Gaelic ''broc'', Welsh language|Welsh ''broch'', from Proto-Celtic ''*brokko'') meaning ''grey''. The Proto-Germanic term was ''*þahsu-'' (German language|German ''Dachs''), probably from the Proto-Indo-European language|PIE root (linguistics)|root ''*tek'-'' "to construct," so that the badger would have been named after its digging of setts (tunnels). A male badger is a '''boar''', a female a '''sow''' and a young badger is a '''cub'''. The collective name for a group of badgers is a clan, colony, or ''cete''.

Classification

- '''Family Mustelidae'''
    - (Subfamily Otter|Lutrinae: otters)
    - '''Subfamily Melinae'''
    - * Hog Badger, ''Arctonyx collaris''
    - * Melogale|Burmese Ferret Badger, ''Melogale personata''
    - * Melogale|Oriental Ferret Badger, ''Melogale orientalis''
    - * Chinese Ferret Badger, ''Melogale moschata''
    - * Everett's Ferret Badger, ''Melogale everetti''
    - * Eurasian Badger, ''Meles meles''
    - '''Subfamily Mellivorinae'''
    - * Ratel or Honey Badger, ''Mellivora capensis''
    - '''Subfamily Taxideinae''':
    - * †''Chamitataxus avitus''
    - * †''Pliotaxidea nevadensis''
    - * †''Pliotaxidea garberi''
    - * American Badger, ''Taxidea taxus''
    - (Subfamily Mustelinae: weasels, martens, polecats and allies)
- '''Family Mephitidae'''
    - Indonesian or Javan Stink Badger (Teledu), ''Mydaus javanensis''
    - Palawan Stink Badger, ''Mydaus marchei''

Behavior

The behavior of badgers differs by family, but all shelter underground, living in burrows called setts. Some are solitary, moving from home to home, while others are known to form clans. Group size measures|Clan size is variable from 2 to 15. Badgers are fierce animals and will protect themselves and their young at all costs. Badgers are capable of fighting off much larger animals such as wolves, coyotes and bears. Badgers can run or gallop at up to 25-30 km per hour for short periods of time.

Diet

American Badgers are fossorial carnivores. Unlike many carnivores that stalk their prey in open country, badgers catch most of their food by digging. They can tunnel after ground dwelling rodents with amazing speed. They have been known to cache food. The honey badger consumes honey, porcupines and even venomous snakes (such as the Bitis arietans|puff adder). They will climb trees to gain access to honey from bees' nests. The diet of the Eurasian badger consists largely of earthworms, insects, and grubs. They also eat small mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds as well as cereals, roots and fruit. Diet of the Eurasian badger

Badgers and humans

Hunting badgers is common in many countries, either as a perceived pest (animal)|pest, or for sport. Meddling in badger population is prevented as badgers are listed in the Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats|Berne Convention (Appendix III), but they are not otherwise the subject of any international treaty or legislation. The blood sport of badger-baiting was outlawed in the United Kingdom by the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835 as well as the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 which makes it a serious offence to kill, injure or take a badger, or to damage or interfere with a sett unless a licence is obtained from a statutory authority. An exemption that allowed fox hunters to loosely block setts to prevent chased foxes escaping into them was brought to an end with the passage of the Hunting Act 2004. Many badgers in Europe were gassed during the 1960s and 1970s to control rabies. Until the 1980s, gassing was also practised in the United Kingdom|UK to control the spread of Tuberculosis#Animals|bovine TB. Scandinavian custom is to put eggshells or styrofoam in one's boots when walking through badger territory, as badgers are believed to bite down until they can hear a crunch. The dachshund dog breed has a history with badgers; "''dachs''" is the German language|German word for badger, and dachshunds were originally bred to be badger hounds. Badger hair is used to make quality Shave brush|shaving brushes and paint brushes and was used as a trim on Native American garments. It has even been used in some instances as doll hair. The badger is the state animal of Wisconsin. Likenesses of badgers appear through the Wisconsin State Capitol, and a badger appears on the head of the statue of Wisconsin atop the building. The official mascot of the University of Wisconsin-Madison is Buckingham U. Badger, AKA Bucky Badger.

In fiction

Badgers are popular in English language|English fiction. Many badger characters are featured in author Brian Jacques' Redwall series, most often falling under the title of Badger Lord or Badger Mother. Other stories featuring badgers include Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Mr. Tod ("Tommy Brock"), C. S. Lewis's Prince Caspian ("Trufflehunter"), The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, The Once and Future King and The Book of Merlyn by T. H. White, Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl, and Badger (Farthing Wood)|The Animals of Farthing Wood. In the Harry Potter series, one of the four "houses" of Hogwarts, Hufflepuff, is symbolised by a badger. The character Frances in Russell Hoban's series of children's books is a badger. Badgers also appear prominently in two volumes of Erin Hunter's Warriors (novel series)|Warriors: The New Prophecy series, and a badger god is featured as a major character and spirit guide for the lead character in The Immortals (series)|The Immortals series by Tamora Pierce. The most prominent poem on the badger is from the Romantic period's John Clare. "''Badger''" describes a badger hunt, complete with badger-baiting, and treats the badger as a noble creature which dies at the end.

Badgers in the Human Diet

Although uncommon to be eaten today (except in cases of extreme poverty or need), badgers were one of the main meat sources in the native American diet, specially among hunting tribes, which used to hunt them for furhttp://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Taxidea_taxus.html. Badger Milk is also a food product obtained from badgers being used nowadays mainly by athletes and phisiculturists as a calcium supplement and is found with a certain effort in Germany|German marketshttp://fuego.de/badgermilk/milch.html.

Urban legends

- British forces were said to have released killer badger|man-eating badgers in the vicinity of Basra, Iraq, following the 2003 coalition invasion. This allegation has been denied by the British, and local scientists agree that the animals, Ratels, also known as Honey Badgers, are native to the area.

References

External links

- Badger Facts and Photos - NatureMapping Program
- BadgerBadger
- Badgerland - The Definitive On-Line Guide to Badgers in the UK
- IberiaNature: Spanish badgers
- Steve Jackson's Badger Pages
- The Badger Trust (formerly the National Federation of Badger Groups)
- The Virtual Badger Sett
- WildlifeOnline - Natural History of Badgers Category:Badgers| Category:Fauna of Ireland Category:Mammals of the United States simple:Badger

Related Images

- American badger.
- Eurasian badger.

Sources: StartLearningNow, Wikipedia | Usage license: GNU FDL

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