I'm Marty Stouffer.
One creature I find particularly
amusing is the badger.
Its irritable disposition is
almost comical,
but the badgers temper
is no laughing matter and it's
a dangerous opponent when provoked.
However, when given the choice,
it would rather dig to safety than
stand and fight.
The Badger is literally a digging
machine, and can burrow
up to a foot a minute.
Its forefeet are equipped with long
claws that are used less for
protection than to break up
and loosen the soil.
Its sturdier hind legs then
push the dirt out of the way.
The badger lives to dig and
digs to live.
Come along as we take a look at
one of our most notorious animals
and see why it's earned the title,
belligerent as a badger.
The badger lives throughout our
western states, from the Mississippi
Basin to the Pacific Ocean.
This adaptable creature can live in
any environment where ground rodents
are plentiful and the soil
is light and sandy.
On the prairie, the badger shares
its habitat with a variety
of other creatures.
The elusive pronghorn is one of
the oldest Native American animals.
Though reasonably plentiful today,
at the turn of the century,
40 million pronghorns roamed
our plains and prairies.
It's not only the fastest mammal
in North America, but also
one of most curious.
True to form, it hears the
badger's commotion and moves in
for a closer look.
The badger, sensing its presence,
makes it perfectly clear that the
pronghorn has overstepped its
boundaries.
With the nuisance gone, the
temperamental tunneler returns to
its digging.
This large member of the weasel
family does not dig simply
for pleasure.
On the contrary, its whole existence
depends on its burrowing habits.
It digs for defense,
shelter, food, and
sometimes just for fun.
Badgers will often sleep for weeks
on end when the weather is cold.
This sleep is not a true hibernation
because as soon as the skies
clear and the temperatures climb it
will emerge to satisfy
its apparently insatiable appetite.
Food is not as plentiful in the
winter and the badger will often
attack larger animals if its hunger
is great enough.
Ring-neck pheasants are as tasty
as they are beautiful.
But badgers rarely feast on
pheasants because they're not quick
enough to catch them.
However, if it should stumble upon
an injured bird or one that
a more agile predator has caught,
it will not hesitate to fight for
such a tree.
Perfectly designed for its burrowing
and hunting lifestyle, the
badger is almost as wide as
it is long and has tremendous
strength.
Although its vision is poor,
this digging doormat more
than makes up for its bad eyesight
with an acute sense of hearing
and a keen sense of smell.
The combination of smelling and
hearing abilities make it an
efficient hunter, especially of
rodents.
In fact, a badger can tell
the sex, health,
and location of another badger
simply by its scent.
In this case, the commotion
and smell of fresh blood immediately
catch the attention of a competitor
foraging nearby.
The badger has distinctive facial
markings.
The nose, eyes, and forehead
are black with a narrow white
stripe that runs from just
behind the nose to the shoulders.
Their unusually thick skin is
covered with a grayish-brown fur.
In the 1930s, this fur
was used for shaving brushes and
ladies' coat collars and would bring
as much as $50 a pelt.
Today, with the creation of
synthetics, their hide is
practically worthless.
Except, of course, to the badger.
The term badgering means
to tease, bully,
or bother someone.
This verb probably originated
from an English custom when
so-called sportsmen staged
fights between dogs and a badger.
The unfortunate badger was put into
a barrel, which was then laid on
its side.
Dachshunds, dogs of German origin,
bred small specifically for chasing
these fierce animals from their
holes, would then try to get inside
the barrel and force the badger
out. Interestingly enough...
This practice was outlawed because
of inhumane treatment to the
dogs, not the badgers.
A badger either escapes or
fights, but rarely will it
surrender.
It's no wonder these burly
excavators have few natural
enemies.
The bobcat waits nearby as
the badger attempts to stash its
prize.
Finally, the waiting pays off
and the Bobcat moves in.
However, when the badger realizes
that its meal is in jeopardy,
it quickly returns to reclaim its
stolen catch.
Bested once again,
the cat watches hungrily as
this prairie poacher devours
its kill.
The badger, as a member
of the mustelid or weasel
family, is also characterized
by its musk glands.
An angry or agitated individual
will discharge a foul-smelling
odor.
Although it can't aim and spray like
its cousin the skunk, the
stench can saturate an area and
deter even the most persistent
adversary.
Finally, the bobcat concedes.
As the day passes, this
badger continues its exploration
before the weather turns cold
again.
On warm winter days, this
tenacious creature will often
excavate a large area with
the hope of finding a den of
hibernating ground squirrels.
One of the most ferocious sites in
nature is Badger Fighting
Badger.
This is only a minor squabble.
A unique physical makeup
corresponds perfectly to
a fierce fighting spirit.
Its skin is tough yet fits
so loosely that if the animal
is grabbed from behind it
can literally turn around inside
its own skin and bite the
attacker.
And a bite from a badger is nothing
to be taken lightly.
Its 34 teeth automatically
sharpen each other when the mouth
opens and closes.
Attached to the skull.
The jawbone is held in place by
strong muscles that lock
shut when grabbing prey or
attacking an enemy.
The only way to open the jaw of
a badger unwilling to let go
is to break it.
As a matter of fact, they're so
stubborn they won't release their
grip until their victim is dead.
On occasion, two are found
dead with their jaws locked in
a death grip. There's no question.
A badger has definitely met its
match. In fighting another badger.
This one quickly forgets about its
excavation, reclaims its
prize, and heads off to its winter
sleeping den, leaving its
hungry competitor behind.
Meadowlands and open country are
preferred for their abundant supply
of ground-dwelling rodents.
Though more commonly found on our
western plains and prairies,
they also live in mountainous
regions.
By nature, badgers are
solitary animals, so if
you should come across a pair
hunting or burrowing, it will
probably be in the late summer or
early fall, their mating season.
Burrowing animals, like this
mountain-dwelling marmot, typically
have a back door, enabling it
to slip away if an unwanted
visitor comes knocking at its front
door.
With the adult marmot out of the
way, the badger returns to
the den to see what goodies might
be left behind.
Badgers are known to raid the nests
of rodents for their young.
In this way, they get the most
meat for the least amount of energy.
Although this badger pair will
soon mate, they're still loners
when it comes to matters of the
stomach.
Once they do mate, they will again
go their separate ways to prepare
for the winter.
Like bears, they eat excessively
in autumn to build up a layer
of fat before either finding
or digging a winter den.
As stated, badgers
mate in August and September.
However, the cubs are not
born until the following spring.
The special process which allows
them to mate in August and give
birth in May is called
delayed implantation.
The fertilized eggs float free
in the uterus until mid-February
when the embryos attach themselves
to the wall of the uterus and
development continues.
This process allows them to have
their young in the spring.
When food is plentiful and
the weather is ideal for their
survival.
The female digs a special birthing
den that is more spacious than
a burrowing den and often has
a number of tunnels, chambers,
and turnarounds.
The main chamber is a warm
and comfortable environment in which
to raise a family.
Approximately six weeks later,
the mother gives birth.
Typically, a litter has between
two to five cubs that
are born blind and furred.
Their eyes will open around the
fourth week, at which time the
mother begins to wean them.
The cubs remain in the den for six
weeks, nursing and sleeping.
Badgers are very meticulous
creatures, so as soon as
the little ones start moving around,
one of the first lessons they learn
is housekeeping.
There's a separate chamber in the
den for burying feces,
and the female promptly teaches the
youngsters where the excrement
chamber is located.
Badgers often take over and
enlarge an abandoned burrow near
a prairie dog village.
Conveniently, their pantry is now
right next to their kitchen,
providing for a comfortable
existence.
This relationship not only produces
a healthy badger, but also
a healthy ecosystem by
keeping the rodent population under
control.
This mother badger's keen sense
of smell leads her right to
an unlucky prairie dog.
Although not renowned for its speed,
the Badger can run up to 10 miles
per hour if the occasion calls
for it.
The mother returns to the den,
where she's greeted by her two
hungry cubs.
As the summer progresses,
so do the young badgers.
At six weeks, the cubs begin
to venture outside the den.
They're half-grown at eight weeks
and frequently accompany their
mother hunting.
By 10 weeks, the sow often
withholds food from her young,
which in turn encourages them
to go hunting on their own.
You
Finally, the cubs get the message
and head out alone.
Another animal found among the tall
grasses of the plains is
the western box turtle.
These reptiles are cold blooded,
so they warm up in the morning
sunshine, then spend the
day searching for food.
Their diet consists of berries,
small plants, and insects.
Often they're seen digging in cattle
droppings in search of dung
beetles.
The dynamic duo spot
this armored opportunity and
immediately investigate.
A box turtle's shell has
a special dome shape that
makes it almost impossible for
predators to reach its vulnerable
appendages.
As one youngster tries in vain
to get the meal out of the
container, its sibling practices
digging skills.
Finally, enough is enough,
and the rambunctious cub decides
that digging might be more exciting
than struggling with the turtle.
Free at last, the turtle
methodically continues on its
way.
Meanwhile, the comical pair,
spurred on by their empty bellies,
continue their search.
Prairie dogs, unlike badgers,
are very social creatures.
Members of the same family typically
greet each other by touching
noses or lips in a kissing-like
gesture.
This is one fortunate prairie
dog.
It can be grateful that it ran into
these inexperienced cubs and
not their mother.
Seemingly exasperated, these
carefree critters take a break and
lounge around in the dirt.
Obviously, they still have a
long way to go before becoming
expert hunters like their parents.
But the badger must be doing
something right.
While virtually all predator
populations are declining,
These down-to-earth diggers
seem to be holding their own.
Some say the best defense
is a good offense.
Maybe there is something to be said
for being belligerent
as a badger.
I'm Marty Stouffer.
Until next time, enjoy
our Wild America!