Details
Meles meles
The European badger is a stocky mustelid with bold black-and-white facial stripes. It digs large setts and emerges at night to forage for worms, fruit, and other foods.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It inhabits Palearctic woodland, grassland, and farmland edges. Slopes and field margins with diggable soil hold setts, while open grassland is important for feeding.
Length 56-90 cm; weight 7-17 kg. A heavy body, short legs, strong claws, grey coarse fur, and a white face with black stripes are distinctive.
Nocturnal and social, it often shares a sett with several group members. Setts may be enlarged over generations and contain many entrances and chambers.
An omnivore, it eats earthworms, insects, fruit, roots, grain, and small animals. On damp nights it can collect many worms by scent.
After mating, delayed implantation postpones development. Cubs are born underground and grow in protected chambers before emerging.
It is listed as Least Concern. Road deaths, land management, and disease-control conflicts with people are local issues.
