How a badger lives and what benefits it brings to humans. Badger or common badger Badger habitat

Common badger or badger (lat. Meles meles) - despite the simple name, very interesting and unusual smart creature. This beast of prey from the mustelid family, it is widespread throughout Europe and Asia, except for the too cold northern regions of Finland and Scandinavia.

The very way it builds holes speaks of the intelligence of this cautious and agile creature. Since badgers live as whole families in the same place for many years, leaving their home as a “legacy” to their descendants, they build entire settlements with complex labyrinths, passages and spacious dry “rooms.”

Their nesting chambers-bedrooms, sometimes located on several floors, are clean and well-equipped. They even have ventilation and several emergency exits. In addition to the main holes, badgers also have spare holes, which are made a little simpler and serve as shelter from predators. Not far from the home, the animal builds a kind of latrine, digging a hole and carefully cleaning up after itself.

Of course, you don’t want to leave such mansions, so badgers live in them for decades, or even longer. Recent geochronic studies have shown that some of these multi-tiered underground structures are several thousand (!) years old.

The badger’s body seems to be specially created for construction. Muscular, dense, squat, with a pointed head that smoothly turns into a 60-90-centimeter body, this living forest excavator is perfectly suited for working underground.

flickr/Elliott Neep

Its legs are short, its paws are strong, flat-footed with large and strong, slightly curved claws. The length of the tail is about 24 cm. The badger's fur is coarse, the color is brownish-gray, the belly is almost black, and on the wedge-shaped muzzle there are two dark stripes running from the nose to the ears.

It is impossible to see a badger during the day, as it prefers to lead night look life. Unless at dawn or late in the evening it may accidentally appear in the eyes of a nature lover.

The badger, like the badger, eats everything it can chew. But most of all he loves worms, frogs and snails. In addition, he happily eats berries, small rodents, lizards, mushrooms, nuts and grass. On occasion, it destroys bird nests or feasts on insect larvae.

With such a diet, he does not face hunger, so by the end of autumn this 24-kilogram animal has a dozen extra pounds, with which he hibernates. The badger sleeps lightly, and its body temperature does not decrease. In addition, in warm areas With short winters He doesn't go to bed at all.

Badgers are monogamous; pairs form in the fall, but mating occurs at different times. Since pregnancy has a long latent stage, its duration varies from 270 to 450 days. In one litter, from two to six blind badgers are born.

Their mother literally a few days later, just in case, gets pregnant again. The babies open their eyes on the 35th day, and after another two months they feed on their own. In the fall, badger children begin to live separately.

It is curious that parents carefully monitor not only the safety of their brood, but also the cleanliness of the “children’s” rooms. At night, they send the little ones out for a walk, and they quickly pull out the old grass and ferns outside and replace them with fresh ones, amusingly pushing tufts of greenery inside, backing away and holding them in their front paws.

Just like its closest relative, the badger marks its territory with an odorous secretion, which is secreted by a special gland located under the tail of the animal. By this smell, the animals recognize each other and find their way home.

The common badger (Meles meles) is of significant interest among all predators forest animal Ukraine. In terms of size, it is the largest representative of the mustelid family (body length up to 90 cm). Its appearance and peculiar physique differs from other species of this family. The common badger is a strong animal with a squat, clumsy body, the back of which is thicker than the front. The head is elongated, the neck is short, the ears are rounded. The badger's muzzle is quite sharp. The limbs are short, but very massive, plantigrade, armed with long, wide, non-retractable claws, which are perfectly adapted for digging the soil. Without any particular difficulties, the common badger digs deep holes for itself, and in search of food it easily breaks rotten stumps and digs roots out of the soil. The tail of badgers is short - it does not exceed the length of the head. Of the sense organs, smell and hearing are the best developed. The hair coat is long, coarse, consisting of a long awn and a soft short undercoat.

The color of the common badger is two-color: the back and sides of the body are brownish-gray, the belly is black-brown. The top of the muzzle and the area around the muzzle, forehead, cheeks and tops of the ears are white. On the sides of the head there are two black wide stripes, which start in front of the eyes and pass through the eyes and ears to the back of the head, where they gradually merge with the brownish coloring of the back. The tail is whitish.

Where does the badger live?

The common badger is a fairly common animal in the forests of Ukraine, but we almost never see it. Badgers lead a very secretive lifestyle. These are nocturnal animals; during the day they, as a rule, are in a deep hole and only in the evening, after sunset, they go out to hunt. Badgers are common in forest and forest-steppe zones, forests of Crimea, and in the Carpathian Mountains, where they reach the border of the subalpine zone. They live in dry forests overgrown with small forests, shrubs and grass, mainly on the edges, difficult to pass ravines and slopes, on which they dig holes for themselves. In mountainous areas, the common badger is most often found in spruce and tall beech forests, in ravines between rocks, among piles of stone blocks. Avoids areas where the groundwater level is high, which is not suitable for digging holes.

What does a badger eat?

The common badger is a carnivore, but it is an omnivore. It feeds on a wide variety of foods, which change in composition depending on the time of year. In summer, the main diet of the common badger consists of insects, their larvae, small ones, rodents, terrestrial mollusks, frogs and lizards. In addition, they are large quantities They consume roots and juicy stems of herbs, acorns, nuts, mushrooms and berries. In autumn they readily feed on farmland, They consume hemp seeds, peas, heads of corn and potatoes that ripen there.

badger hole

Unlike all other mustelids, badgers are excellent diggers. They often dig their burrows on the slopes of hills and ravines, especially if they are covered with dense undergrowth or have a very developed grass cover, where badgers skillfully camouflage the entrance holes to the burrow. The burrows of the common badger always have complex structure. This is a labyrinth with wide and deep passages, which sometimes has more than a dozen exit and entrance holes. Usually one or two carefully trampled passages lead to a depth of two to three meters, where, at a distance of over 8 m from the entrance, the badger arranges its home, well lining it with dry leaves. Although badgers usually rest in a hole during the day, in the summer they often spend the day somewhere in the thick of bushes on the surface of the ground.

Reproduction

If there are safe places in the habitat (dark, dense forests), the badger often goes hunting during the day, long before sunset. Mating in common badgers occurs in the spring, but babies are born only the following year, after a long pregnancy (284-450 days). Newborn babies (three to five in a litter) are blind and weak, developing slowly. After two months they begin to emerge from the hole. They feed independently from the age of three months. After this, they grow quickly and in the fall are not much different from their parents.

Badger hibernation

At the end of November, and in the mountainous regions of the Carpathians already in the second half of October, the common badger, unlike other mustelids, goes into hibernation. Does not sleep soundly, often wakes up and maybe even in the middle of winter, in warm days temporary thaws, come to the surface of the earth. Near the entrance hole of the hole, on the melted snow cover, the badger left clear traces of its feet, on which the imprints of bare soles, fingers and claws, which resemble the footprints of a bear cub, are clearly outlined. Before hibernating, the common badger fattens up a lot of fat, the reserves of which enable it to survive during the long winter sleep.

Meaning of Badgers

Destroying a huge number of forest pests, especially chafers and their larvae, mouse-like rodents, badgers are very useful for forestry. Known Facts, when 318 cockchafer larvae were found in the stomach of one badger. Badger fur does not have any particular industrial value, but their fat has healing properties and is used in folk medicine. At least in southern regions In Ukraine, badgers sometimes cause damage to corn crops, vineyards and melon crops, but this damage is so insignificant compared to their beneficial activities that they should be considered useful animals that deserve all possible protection.

The secret life of the common badger was filmed documentary. Video cameras were installed in the badger burrows, thanks to which we can become more familiar with these interesting animals.

The common badger is a predatory animal from the mustelidae family, a class of mammals. Considered one of the most easily recognizable animals in wildlife. In appearance, the badger is a bit like a medium-sized dog.

The body length of the animal is 70-90 cm. As a rule, females are slightly smaller than males.

The mammal has a rather long and fluffy tail. General form the animal's body is cone-shaped. The wide rear part gradually narrows, turning into an oblong neck and an elongated muzzle.

On the head of the mammal there are small round ears with interesting tassels. white. The eyes are small and resemble shiny beads.

The limbs are not long, but quite massive. A notable feature is its claws, thanks to which the badger quickly digs the ground, building a hole for itself.

The animal's fur is hard and short. On the back the length of the fur does not exceed 8 cm, on the paws and head it is even shorter. The coloring of the animal is quite unusual. On the back and sides, the fur has a gray-silver tint, the paws and belly are black. On the badger's face there are two black stripes that start at the nose and end at the ears.

Animals shed 2 times a year (spring and summer). First, the soft undercoat falls out, then the guard hairs. At the end of August, molting ends.

Due to its hard and thick fur, the animal visually appears larger than it actually is. The weight of a badger depends on the time of year. Before hibernation average weight- 23 kg, after waking up - 15 kg.

The badger's character is calm and not aggressive. When meeting an enemy or a person, he prefers to quickly run away. Rarely attacks first.

The animal moves rather slowly, most often in small steps and leaps. But if he senses danger, he can run quickly and can swim well. The mammal has a well-developed sense of smell and hearing. They can hear the enemy hundreds of meters away.

But the animal’s vision is weak. We can say that the animal is practically blind. The badger sees moving objects blurry, as if in fog.

Badger tracks resemble those of a bear, only much smaller. The animal's footprint is 4 cm wide and about 8 cm long.

The habits of the animal are well known. The badger is nocturnal and sleeps during the day after hunting. The animal spends most of its life in a hole, which it builds and periodically updates. In its simplest form, the hole consists of:

one entrance;
mandatory long tunnel;
nesting chamber containing leaves and dry grass.

The depth of the hole is 1-5 meters. The animal places nesting chambers under aquifer. Thanks to this, the hole is always dry and warm. Animals often change their litter, replacing rotten leaves with new ones.

Often, a badger hole is a complex structure with tunnels and many entrances and exits. A real labyrinth for other animals. Badgers build such burrows for safety, to protect themselves and their offspring from foxes and raccoon dogs.

Range, habitats

The animal's range is quite wide. The mammal lives throughout the entire area of Europe, Russia and the Caucasus. The exceptions are Scandinavia (northern part) and Siberia.

The badger is found in China, Japan and the Korean Peninsula.

Based on their habitat, several types of animals are distinguished:

European badgers;
Asian badger.

The animal lives where it can dig a hole. If the area is flooded, the animal will not be able to live there. Another important condition is the proximity of a reservoir or lake (within a radius of up to 1 km).

Often, the animal can be found in deciduous or mixed forests, where a lot of bushes and tall grass grow. The badger prefers to dig holes in overgrown ravines, on slopes, and forest edges. Often, the dwelling of a living badger is found on the high banks of rivers. The beast does not live in open steppes, deserts, or taiga dense forests.

What does a badger eat?

Like any representative of mustelids, the badger can be classified as a predator. But in fact, the animal is not too picky about food and is even omnivorous.

From plant foods, he will not refuse roots, berries, fruits, mushrooms, and succulent tree branches. If there are sown fields nearby, the badger can spoil crops. An animal cannot be completely called a herbivore or a herbivore.

From animal food, the animal can eat small rodents, fish, birds, insects, mollusks, and larvae.

Badger's favorite food: earthworms. He can eat them every day large quantities, therefore practically does not need water.

The animal will never touch carrion, even in the most hungry times. But it can eat its young.

The badger eats little, up to 0.5 kg per day. Exceptions are the period of preparation for hibernation. In a few weeks, the animal can gain weight up to 10 kg. At this time, the badger's diet is varied.

Reproduction and offspring

Badgers are monogamous animals. They change partners only on rare occasions. Pairs are created for life.

The mating season for animals lasts from February to October. But the peak of sexual activity occurs in September. The female's pregnancy lasts quite a long time, in some cases up to 12 months. It depends on the time when conception occurred.

Even before the offspring appear, an adult badger begins to prepare a new burrow for the cubs. In addition to the entrances and exits, several nesting chambers are built and dry leaves are laid out.

Each litter produces 3-4 cubs (maximum 6). At first, badgers look like little rats. They are defenseless and completely dependent on their parents. The cubs are born blind and deaf, with virtually no fur on their body. The weight of a newborn badger does not exceed 80 grams.

Feeding with breast milk lasts 3-4 months. Afterwards, when the badger cubs begin to feed on their own, they quickly gain weight and leave their parents.

But as a rule, they spend their first hibernation (anabiosis) together with their family, and after that they set up a separate burrow.

Females become sexually mature at 2 years, males at 3 years.

How long do they live?

Lifespan of an animal natural nature 10-12 years, but in captivity a little longer (up to 16 years). This is due to the following factors:

In the first years, only 50% of newborns survive from the offspring. The cubs will be eaten by the parents themselves if they are hungry.
Even after the animal grows up and begins to feed on its own, mortality remains high. They are killed by rivals in the fight for holes and new territories.
Often, animals become food for bears, foxes, and wolves.
We cannot write off poachers who hunt for badger fat, which is used in folk medicine.
Animals die from infectious diseases.

Breeders are breeding badgers. This profitable business. But experts say that if the animal does not live in its natural environment, badger fat loses its properties and qualities.

These mammals are not in danger of extinction. The animal is listed in the Red Book, but with a note that the species is at least threatened with extinction. Often the animal is exterminated as a carrier of serious diseases, such as rabies. But even so, their population remains large.

Evidence shows that humans pose a threat to badgers. These animals die under the wheels of cars. If this continues, the badger will become a rare species or disappear from natural environment habitat.

Natural enemies

The mammal has few enemies. Wild animals are dangerous: bears, lynxes, wolves, dogs. As a rule, young, inexperienced individuals become victims.

If a badger is caught by surprise, the animal emits a loud cry and calls for help from its fellow tribesmen. It is difficult to cope with this animal. The animal bites, fights off with its paws, and scratches the enemy. Causes serious injury to the offender.

But badgers do not quarrel with foxes. These animals can even live in the same hole. If the fox does not interfere and destroy the offspring, such cohabitation will be successful.

Badgers are beneficial mammals. They eat insects that harm agriculture. The animal's skin is of no interest in the fur industry, but badger fat is still valuable in folk medicine. Badgers are not going extinct, but it is prohibited to exterminate the animals.

The badger is a large representative of the mustelid family (Mustelidae). Its English name badger comes from the French becbeur, meaning “digger.”

Badgers are found in Africa, Eurasia and North America. They descended from a marten-like ancestral form that inhabited tropical forests Asia. Species such as teledu, Malayans and ferrets still inhabit this region today.

Common badgers are more widespread. They live over a vast area stretching from Ireland to Japan, including the Mediterranean islands with arid climate, northern forests Scandinavia, as well as the semi-deserts of Israel and Jordan. They are most numerous in areas of mosaically scattered forests and pastures; They try to avoid large forest areas. This species is also found in the outskirts of cities, city parks and gardens.

In Russia, the badger lives almost everywhere. Ural mountains; It is absent only in the far north and in areas with very dry terrain.

In total, there are 10 species of badgers in 6 genera. Let's get to know them better.

Badger subfamily (Melinae)

This subfamily includes 8 species in 4 genera.

The common badger (Meles meles) is found in the forests and steppes of Europe, in Asia south to Palestine and Iran, east to eastern China, Korea, and Japan. The color is gray-black above, gray below. It is distinguished by alternating white and black stripes on its face. A black stripe runs from the nose to the ear on each side.

The Javanese (Mydaus javanensis) lives in Borneo, Java, and Sumatra. The color is dark brown or blackish. On the head and back there is white stripe or a series of white spots.

The Palawan (Mydaus marchei) lives in the grassy plains and farmlands of the islands of Palawan and Busuanga. The color on top is dark brown to black, the muzzle is white with a yellowish tint, and a yellowish stripe runs down the back.

Teledu (Arctonyx collaris) lives in the forest zone of China and Indochina, as well as in Sumatra and Thailand. The back is yellow, gray or blackish, the ears and tail are white, the belly and limbs are black; dark stripes on the muzzle extend through the eyes.

Ferret badgers

4 species of the genus Melogale: Burmese (India, Nepal), eastern ( Southeast Asia, Java, Bali), Chinese (China, Taiwan, Burma), Everett ferret badger (Borneo).

Subfamily Honeyeaters Mellivorinae

The honey badger (Mellivora capensis) is the only representative of the genus. Lives in savannas and dense forests of Africa. The upper part from head to tail is white, often mixed with gray or brown. The sides, underbody and limbs are black.

Subfamily Taxidienae

The American badger (Taxidea taxus) is the only species of the genus. Found from southeastern Canada and the north central United States to Mexico in the south. It is easily recognized by its reddish-gray fur on its back and white stripe on its face.

The body length of these animals ranges from 32 cm (Palawan, ferret) to almost 1 meter (common). They weigh, depending on the type, from 2 to 24 kilograms. The body of the animals is massive, squat; in shape it resembles a heavy drop, gradually expanding from the muzzle to the tail. In appearance, they are similar to other members of the family (mink, weasel) only with short legs.

The fur of the animals is long and thick, but rough. The muzzle of all species is colored in a unique way: from clearly defined stripes in the common badger to the characteristic mask in ferrets.

The common, American and Malayan species are perfectly adapted to burrowing. They have a dense body, short limbs, well-developed muscles and powerful claws. The Javan species has fused toes on the front feet, which is probably a special adaptation for digging. Taxidea taxus are such excellent diggers that in case of danger they can dig an escape shelter and disappear from the enemy’s sight in just a couple of minutes. In contrast, primitive ferret badgers more closely resemble martens.

Lifestyle in nature

The badger is active at dusk and at night; during daylight hours it can be seen very rarely.

Most species are characterized by a solitary lifestyle. Only Meles meles prefer to live in families. On common territory up to 20-25 individuals can live in one or several common burrows. Interesting distinctive feature animals is the lack of a stable social hierarchy between adults.

The reasons why common badgers live in groups are not entirely clear. Perhaps this is due to weather conditions and availability of feed, since this is typical only for areas with temperate climate and enough high level precipitation. In places where food resources are limited and the climate is arid, animals prefer to live in pairs over a large area of 4-5 km2, or lead a solitary lifestyle. Solitary birds often roam in the summer and appear near their burrows only in the fall.

Badger holes (fortifications)

All types of badgers live in burrows. The construction and improvement of burrows, which are also called towns or fortifications, is a particularly important part in the life of these animals.

The burrows of common badgers have the most complex structure. These are grandiose, multi-tiered structures with complex labyrinths. They are erected, completed, repaired. A family inhabits one settlement year after year, and it is passed on from generation to generation. It is known that some towns have been used by animals for hundreds of years.

The largest of the burrows examined was 879 meters of tunnels and had 129 exits. The construction of this structure was carried out by many generations of animals and required the removal of 62 tons of soil!

They prefer to dig burrows in dry sandy and sandy loam soils with a deep groundwater level. The proximity of populated areas does not frighten them, as long as their home is in a secluded place.

These animals are very attached to their home; in their homeliness, they are somewhat akin to beavers. Both in the hole and in the surrounding area, they are always clean and tidy, unlike, for example, foxes and raccoon dogs. The animals line the bottom of the chamber with dry leaves and grass; even in winter they always have a supply of dry bedding. They set up latrines outside the fort. Such a diligent attitude towards the condition of their home is not surprising, because they spend most of their lives at home.

Diet

Badgers are omnivores. They eat a variety of insects and other invertebrates, chicks and bird eggs, frogs and lizards, as well as fruits and tubers. In search of food, our heroes spend most of their time rummaging in the ground and in the forest floor.

Common badgers living in the British Isles are nicknamed "worm specialists" because their main diet consists of earthworms. One individual can eat several hundred worms per night. In other places, animals eat a more varied diet. Thus, the menu of animals from southern Spain includes rabbits, and in Italy, in addition to insects, they eat olives.

The common badger, thanks to its long claws and thick skin, even attacks hedgehogs!

Among all species, only American ones are highly specialized predators. Their diet consists of burrowing rodents (prairie dogs, gophers, gophers). If there is enough food, badgers sometimes hunt with coyotes. Such a partnership is beneficial to both species.

Do badgers hibernate?

In areas with a temperate climate, food is scarce in winter, so animals store fat in the fall. In cold times they survive only thanks to these reserves. American badgers hibernate during the coldest times of winter and may not emerge from their burrows to the surface for two months.

As for ordinary animals, animals living in hibernation northern regions. Inhabiting southern territories individuals are active all year round, although their activity may decrease and they do not leave their burrows for several days or even weeks.

In the northern regions of Russia, badgers settle down for the winter in the second half of October, and wake up in mid-April. Their sleep is shallow. Sometimes, when disturbed, or during the winter thaw, they wake up and come out of their burrows.

Features of reproduction

Due to the way groups are formed, almost all of their members are close relatives. Therefore, during the breeding season, many individuals go to neighboring areas in search of partners.

An interesting feature of common badgers is their unusual reproductive cycle with delayed implantation. Whenever mating occurs, the development of fertilized eggs is delayed until mid-winter. Thus, pregnancy can last from 270 to 450 days, and badger cubs are born in February, March or April.

A similar system is typical for American badgers. Since pregnancy occurs in the middle of winter, when the animals are inactive or hibernating, both mother and developing fetus exist only due to accumulated fat. Apparently, this is why newborn cubs are very small relative to the size of the mother.

The babies open their eyes only at the beginning of the second month of life, after another month they begin to leave the hole, and at three months they begin to feed on their own. With the onset of autumn, young badgers separate from the adults and leave their home.

Enemies

Our hero has few enemies. In addition to the sharp unpleasant odor, the animals are known for their remarkable strength and ferocity, which they immediately demonstrate if threatened. There are known cases of dogs dying during burrow hunting after a fight with a badger. And yet, animals often become prey to other predators. So, leopards hunt on teleda. IN Russian forests The animals are threatened by wolves and lynxes.

But the main enemy of this beast is a person who is interested in badger fat (he is credited with miraculous medicinal properties), and, to a lesser extent, fur (it has no particular value).

Badger meat proper preparation It is quite edible, but hunters do not often use it for food.

Conservation in nature

Population numbers are greatly affected by loss of original habitats, human persecution, and destruction of burrows and underground storage areas. But even with the extermination of these animals as pests or carriers of infectious diseases, the population remains high. Of all the species, only two - the Palawan badger and the Everett ferret badger - are truly threatened.

Javan ferret badgers and several endemic subspecies are suffering from habitat destruction due to deforestation. Other species also conflict with humans. So, the number American species has decreased significantly due to the destruction of rodents, which constitute their main prey. Common ones are undesirable neighbors for farmers, since they are considered carriers of bovine tuberculosis.

An increase in the number of these mammals is observed in places where they have long been taken under protection. The fact that common badgers thrive in severely modified agriculture and urbanization conditions, suggests that animals have learned to adapt well to changing environmental conditions.

The lifespan of badgers in nature is up to 10-12 years; in captivity, animals are known that lived up to 25 years.

Badger (Meles meles L., 1758) – average size beast, by appearance is not at all similar to its brothers from the mustelidae family.

Description

Its body is wedge-shaped: the wide rear part gradually tapers towards the head. The short, thick neck extends into a small and narrow head. The ears are small and round. The legs are short, strong and muscular with bare feet and long and strong claws. The tail is short, approximately equal to the length of the head.
The body length is 60-80cm, the tail is 15-20cm. The weight of an adult animal varies throughout the year, increasing from spring to autumn. In the spring it is approximately 10 kg, and before the animal leaves for the winter it already reaches 30 kg.
In general, his appearance is massive and squat.

The badger usually moves slowly and sluggishly, with its head down, but in case of danger it can quickly run in leaps and bounds.

The winter fur on the back and sides is tall and coarse, consisting mainly of coarse, hard awns and small amount soft fluff. The belly is covered with short and sparse hair. The tail is quite bushy.

The overall color of the badger's fur is beautiful. The back and sides are light silver-gray with a touch of black ripples. This coloring is due to the zoned coloring of the guard hairs: the main part of the hair is dirty-whitish-fawn, then there is a black belt, and the top is white or grayish-white.
The throat, neck, chest and legs are black. The main part of the abdomen is black with a brown tint, the inguinal region is grayish-brown. The tail is colored, as is the back.
The head is white, with two black stripes clearly visible on it, running from the tip of the nose through the eyes, covering the ears and gradually dissolving with the main color in the neck area.

Summer fur is much lower, thinner and coarser than winter fur, and the color appears dirty, brownish and yellowish.

A badger molts once a year. Starting in the spring, it lasts all summer and ends only in late autumn.
Badgers have well-defined individual variability in color; therefore, they are divided into two types: light and dark.

Spreading

The habitat of the animal is quite extensive and occupies approximately half of our country. It inhabits forests, forest-steppes, steppes, deserts and mountains. It is absent only in the tundra and in the northeastern part of Siberia.

The breadth of geographic distribution influenced the racial variability of the species. In our country, the following subspecies are distinguished: Central Russian (European) badger, Caspian, Siberian, Kazakhstan and Amur.

IN middle lane The badger lives in mixed forests, sticking mainly to edges, copses and ravines. The most favorable habitats are considered to be mixed island forests, alternating with fields and meadows. In the Deaf coniferous forests the beast also settles, but much less often and in this case it sticks to the outskirts. He avoids such places due to their lack of food.

When assessing the suitability of land for an animal, it is necessary to take into account the three most important factors: presence of forest or bushes, favorable conditions for burrowing and proximity to water.
The forest is necessary for him as a refuge, a source of food, and also as an environment necessary for life.

Biology

It leads a semi-underground lifestyle, so an important requirement is the availability of places for making burrows.
When arranging a hole, the animal chooses places near various bodies of water, and tries to make it so that it can be approached secretly.

There is little data on the size of its habitat. Most likely, it is quite extensive, but it is most active within a radius of up to half a kilometer from the burrow.
If the land is abundant in food, families of badgers can live in close proximity to each other.

They prefer to dig burrows on the slopes of ravines and river terraces. The soil should be dry sandy or sandy loam, easy to dig with deep groundwater.
The animal always digs its own shelter; other animals often use its labors, for example, raccoon dog, less often a wolf.

A badger's hole is the whole system underground labyrinths with a large number exits. Entire generations of animals live in these settlements for decades. All this time, the network of passages is expanding and being updated: new exits, holes and chambers are being dug.
Such old branched burrows were called “fortifications”.

The exits usually have an arched shape with a length of 4 to 10 m, the nesting chamber is located at a depth of at least 1 m from the surface. The chamber is provided with a bedding of leaves and grass.
Most work on arranging burrows takes place in late summer and early autumn.

The beast refers to omnivorous predators, his diet is varied. Its diet contains both plant and animal food. The predominance of one or the other depends on the habitat and time of year.
The badger's food consists of mouse-like rodents (voles), small birds, amphibians (frogs), reptiles (lizards), insects and their larvae, and earthworms. Plant foods include roots, bulbs and green parts of some plants, as well as nuts, berries, and fruits. Agricultural crops eaten include corn and oats.

Lead by a predator twilight night image life, only in remote places can he sometimes go out during the day, but does not go far from the shelter

The exit of the animal from the hole quite clearly coincides with the onset of twilight - a little after sunset.
Of the sense organs, his sense of smell is best developed. Vision and hearing are mediocre.

Its life is mostly connected with the hole; this is natural for an animal leading a semi-subterranean lifestyle. In addition, he spends several months of the year constantly in the hole.
By autumn the animal becomes very fat, subcutaneous fat reaches 4-5 cm in thickness, and the weight almost doubles.

Badger fat has unique healing properties, you can read what its benefits are in this.

With the arrival of cold weather in September-October, the badger stops leaving its hole and plunges into winter sleep, having previously blocked all the exits with leaves and earth.
In winter, in the northern regions, it does not leave it from October to May, and in the south it can go into sleep only during the cold period.

Winter sleep is not hibernation; the animal's body temperature does not fall below 34 degrees. C. In a thaw, he, like a raccoon dog, can leave the hole

In the spring, the badger leaves the hole when positive temperatures have established and begins cleaning its shelter - preparations for the birth of young begin.

These animals are monogamous, living with the same partner for many years. Mating can take place in different times: in summer, early spring and in autumn. Pregnancy has a latent stage and lasts from 8 to 15 months. The young appear in the spring. There are 2-6 badgers in a litter. They begin to mature in about a month, and teeth erupt at the same time. They begin to leave the hole and feed on their own at three months.
The young begin to settle in the fall, at which time pairs are created.

At dusk, a badger can be detected by the noise it makes when moving. With the onset of darkness, unlike other nocturnal inhabitants, he does not particularly hide.
Other signs of the presence of an animal in the area are the well-trodden paths from the burrow, which the animals use from year to year; they lead hundreds of meters to feeding areas, burrows and watering places. There are also numerous diggings made while searching for food.

Most often he moves with small leisurely steps or jogs.
On wet soil It is easy to detect traces of a badger, which are difficult to confuse with any others. The five-toed paw print is very similar to a miniature footprint.

He has practically no enemies. The only danger can be lynx and dogs. More significant influence The number of animals is influenced by human activity, through the extermination and destruction of “fortifications”.
Competitors can be considered a fox and a raccoon dog.

Meaning and hunting

It is necessary to strictly regulate the prey of the badger; it is small in number and is a very useful animal. Its benefit is that it exterminates harmful rodents, insects and dead animals.
Its fur is not considered valuable, so the value of its skins is low. The main object of the animal's desired prey is badger fat; it, along with bear fat, is very highly valued as a good medicine.

Basic hunting methods:

1. Trapping.
2. Hunting with a dog at dusk.
3. Ambush with a gun near the hole and trails.
4. With burrowing dogs.