Badger

European badger ( Meles meles )

• Meles
• Hog badgers ( Arctonyx )

The Badgers ( Melinae ) are a predator group of the marten family ( Mustelidae ), which is conducted in the rank of a subfamily. The group includes four species in two genera, of which the European badger is the best known and occurs as a single in Europe.

Features

Badgers are characterized by a compact wedge- shaped configuration. The head is small and pointed and provided with small eyes and ears. The legs are short and strong, and the tail is short. The coat color is grayish or black for the Badgers, all species exhibit characteristic facial drawings. The body length varies between 55 and 90 centimeters and the weight of 4-17 kg.

Dissemination

The distribution of badgers is predominantly Palaearctic, the only exception is the pig badger, which is also common in the tropical region. Their habitat are primarily forests and other wooded areas.

Way of life

Badgers are nocturnal in the first place and spend the day in self-dug building or other hiding places. They usually stay on the ground and climb on rare, but they can be very good at digging.

Badgers are omnivorous, taking both small vertebrates, insects and other animals as well as a wide variety of vegetable food.

Procreation is like other mustelids characterized by a dormancy, so it often takes many months between mating and birth, even though the actual gestation period lasts only six to eight weeks. The litter size is usually from two to four. A badger can be up to 15 years old.

System

The Badgers are divided into two genera with five species, some authors approve more recently, the three subspecies of hog badger species status to

• Meles European badger ( Meles meles )
• Asian badger ( Meles leucurus )
• Japanese badger ( Meles anakuma )
• Transkaukasischer badger ( Meles canescens )

• Arctonyx Hog badger ( Arctonyx collaris )

Does not belong to the Badgers in the true sense despite their name:

• The American Badger ( Taxidea taxus )
• The honey badger ( Mellivora capensis )
• The sun badgers ( Melogale ), five species
• The Stinkdachse ( Mydaus ), two types