Belle Lee
Mr. Mal
Biology Period 7
24 April 2012
Badger
It’s not a rodent, or is it a guinea pig. So, is it a raccoon? No! Although this animal looks like it could be in the rodent family, it is a mammal proud to be in Order Carnivora. This animal, the Badger, is the State Animal in Wisconsin. Badgers have been habitant in Wisconsin ever since the territorial days. From far away they are as cute as they can be, but they are ferocious. These ferocious Badgers have lent its likeness to the state's coat of arms, flag, and song, and are even the proud mascot of the University of Wisconsin. They are also called Taxidea taxus which is their scientific name. If they are so bad, what do they look like? Where do they live and what do they eat? Are they safe? Will the next generations be able to see these Badgers? Badgers certainly do not have a ferocious appearance. If anything, they are cute.
Badgers have short, fat bodies, with short legs used for digging.
They have ears that are small, and they have long, somewhat pointy heads. Their tails are different sizes depending on species, some badgers have very short tails, while the some badgers' can be 18 to 20 inches (46 to 51 cm) long, depending on age. They have black faces with distinctive white markings, their bodies are gray with a light-colored stripe from their head to their tail, they have dark legs with light colored stomachs. They grow to around 35 inches (89 cm) in length including tail. There are different types of Badgers that are different sizes. The European badger is one of the largest; the American badger, the hog badger and the honey badger are similar in size and weight, but they are generally a little smaller and lighter. The stink badgers are a little smaller, and the ferret badgers are the smallest out if all the types. They weigh around 20–24 pounds (9.1–11 kg) on average, but there are somebadgers that could weigh up to 18kg.
Badger feeds on rodents and carrion usually it also attracts ground squirrels and prairie dogs into their holes. American badgers are solitary and mostly nocturnal; in the extreme north they sleep through the winter. Several kinds of badger are found in SE Asia. The European Badger in UK are mostliy endangered. American badgers are fairly common in appropriate habitats and are not generally considered threatened. In some areas they are uncommon or rare. In Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and British Columbia they are protected from hunting by law.There are approximately 288,000 badgers in United Kingdom. But in UK there are hunters who are after badgers for sports and badgers are often road killed or there is always reduction of badger habitats. The average lifespan in the wild has been estimated by different researchers at 4 to 5 years and at 9 to 10 years. However when a badger is in cativity, they can live up to 26 years. The oldest wild badger lived to 14 years. Badgers do not migrate. They dig up holes in the ground to live. Males live in larger home ranges than females (2.4 versus 1.6 square kilometers), but they do not defend exclusive territory. When mating season comes, Badgers start to travel to find its mate. Mating happens in late