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American Badger
Conservation status
Least Concern [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Mustelidae Genus: Taxidea Waterhouse, 1839 Species: T. taxus
Binomial name
Taxidea taxus (Schreber, 1777)

The American Badger, Taxidea taxus, is a North American Badger, somewhat similar in appearance to the European Badger.

It is found in the western and central United States, northern Mexico and central Canada. They are found throughout southwestern British Columbia. This animal prefers dry open areas with deep soils that are easy to dig, such as prairie regions.

In Mexico, this animal is sometimes called "tlacoyote". The Spanish word for badger is "tejón", but in Mexico this word is also used to describe coatis. This can lead to confusion, for there are both coatis and badgers in Mexico.

Contents 1 Taxonomy 2 Description 3 Behavior 4 Further Information 5 Cultural references 6 References 7 External links

The American badger is a member of the Mustelidae, a diverse family of carnivorous mammals which also includes the weasel, ferret, and wolverine. The American Badger belongs to one of three sub-families of badgers, the other two being the Eurasian Badger and the Honey Badger. The American Badger's closest relative is the prehisoric Chamitataxus.

Recognized sub-species include: Taxidea taxus jacksoni, found in the western Great Lakes region; Taxidea taxus jeffersoni, on the west coast of Canada and the US; and Taxidea taxus berlandieri, in the south-western US and in northern Mexico.^[2][3]

The American Badger has most of the general characteristics common to badgers; stocky and low-slung with short, powerful legs, they are identifiable by their huge foreclaws (measuring up to 5cm in length) and distinctive head markings. Measuring generally between 60 to 75 cm (23.6 to 29.5 inches) in length, males of the species are significantly larger than females (with an average weight of roughly 7 kg (15.4 pounds) for females and up to almost 9 kg (19.8 pounds) for males). Northern subspecies such as T. t. jeffersonii are heavier than the southern subspecies. In the fall, when food is plentiful, adult male badgers can exceed 11.5 kg (25.4 pounds).^[4]

Excluding the head, the American Badger is covered with a grizzled, silvery coat of coarse hair or fur. The American Badger's triangular face shows a distinctive black and white pattern, with brown or blackish "badges" marking the cheeks and a white stripe extending from the nose to the base of the head. In the subspecies T. t. berlandieri, the white head stripe extends the full length of the body, to the base of the tail.^[5]

The American Badger is a fossorial carnivore. It preys on ground squirrels, mice, and other small mammals, often digging to pursue prey into their dens, and sometimes plugging tunnel entrances.^[6] They also eat birds, snakes and insects. They are mainly active at night, but may be active during the day. They do not hibernate, but become less active in winter. A badger may spend much of the winter in cycles of torpor that last around 29 hours. They do emerge from their dens on warmer days.

Badgers are normally solitary animals for most of the year, but it is thought that in breeding season they expand their territories to actively seek out mates. Males may breed with more than one female. Mating occurs in the summer, but implantation is delayed and the young are born in an underground burrow during late winter. Litters consist of one to five offspring.

American badgers will sometimes form a symbiotic relationship with Coyotes. Because coyotes are not very effective at digging rodents out of their burrows, they will chase the animals while they are above ground. Badgers on the other hand are not fast runners, but are well-adapted to digging. When hunting together, they effectively leave little escape for prey in the area.^[7]

They have few natural predators other than humans. The numbers of these animals has declined due to persecution by farmers and the extermination of many of their prey in agricultural areas. In May 2000, the Canadian Species at Risk Act listed both the American Badger jacksoni subspecies (Taxidea taxus jacksoni) and the jeffersonii subspecies (Taxidea taxus jeffersonii) as an endangered species in Canada.

The state animal of Wisconsin is the badger, so named for the lead miners who lived in holes in the ground during the lead rush of the 1840's. Because of this the University of Wisconsin-Madison's sports team name is the Badgers and their mascot is Bucky Badger.

• Shefferly, N. 1999. "Taxidea taxus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 15, 2007 at University of Michigan Museum of Zoology

• Whitaker, John O. (1980-10-12). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals. Alfred A. Knopf, 745. ISBN 0394507622. 

• Long, Charles A. (1972-11). "Taxonomic Revision of the North American Badger, Taxidea taxus". Journal of Mammalogy 53 (4): 725-759. Retrieved on 2007-08-07. 

• Miller, Ira. Montana Animal Field Guide. Retrieved on 2007-08-04.

• Streube, Donald. American Badger, Idaho Museum of Natural History. Retrieved on 2007-08-04.

• American Badger, The University of Texas at El Paso. Retrieved on 2007-08-04.

• Steve Jackson's badger page