Badger (Taxidea taxus)

Badgers are members of the Mustelidae family, so are distantly related to black-footed ferrets.

They have powerfully built, wedge-shaped bodies, with a small head and short, thick neck. They have an excellent sense of smell, and long snouts used for foraging. They have tough skin covered with long, coarse guard hair, which is dull in color, except for their striking facial patterns. Badgers have developed an adaptation known as delayed implantation, in which there is a delay between fertilization and implantation of the egg. Badgers mate in August or September, with implantation in February and birth of 1 to 5 cubs in April. This adaptation may be to postpone rearing of the young until food is more plentiful.

American badgers range from SW Canada and the north central USA south to Mexico. Their habitat varies from woodlands and forests to grasslands, and they are often found in prairie dog towns. Their powerful legs are sharp claws are well adapted to digging out prairie dogs, mice, ground squirrels, and occasionally, black-footed ferrets.