Unmasking the Badger

Badgers appear prominently in lore across diverse cultures. While we identify with their characters in stories (such as Mr. Badger from The Wind in the Willows) would you know a badger if you saw one? Did you know that badgers inhabit the Salt Lake City Foothills?

The American Badger is a member of the Mustelidae, a diverse family of carnivorous mammals that includes weasels, otters, ferrets and wolverines. The badger’s range spans the western, central and northeastern United States, and from northern Mexico to central and southwestern Canada. They inhabit relatively dry locations, including grasslands, forests of juniper, gamble oak, ponderosa pine and sagebrush. 

Badgers are stocky. They are usually 23-30 inches long and weigh 14-19 pounds. Their short powerful legs and long claws are ideal for digging their burrows. With thick tan-gray coats, badgers are easily recognized by the distinctive white stripe that runs from their black snout over their head. 

Badgers eat a variety of rodents, snakes (including rattlesnakes) and other prey that they dig out from underground. They will enlarge other animals’ dens to make their own burrows where they can safely sleep, be protected from weather, avoid larger predators and raise their young. 

Amazingly, badgers and coyotes will hunt together to improve their success rates. When a badger flushes a rodent out of its hole, the coyote may catch it as it runs to get away. And when a coyote chases an animal into its hole, the badger can grab it.

Some badger populations are designated threatened. Fragmentation of their habitats has resulted in loss of adequate available prey and fresh water sources causing their numbers to decline. While we don’t often encounter badgers our activities can impact their lives greatly. Preservation of our natural lands protects the habitats of our native species. 

By Hilary Jacobs