The Midwest badger

Last winter a friend of mine called and said his neighbor had caught something in his trapline that was rather peculiar. He described the animal and I identified it as badger.

I have never seen a Midwest badger, but I have run across a couple of the irritable little varmints out West. They are vicious creatures who anger easily. Let me bring you up to speed on "Taxidea Taxus."

The badger is a bearlike, stocky little animal about three feet long. They have a short tail and short but powerful legs armed with strong claws on the front feet. They walk on the soles of their feet like bears, and are carnivores, but the badger is in the same family as the otter and weasel. A distinction in this family is five toes on each foot.

Another easily noticeable characteristic is the musk or stink glands at the base of their tails. The best known member of this smelly group is the skunk, whose nauseating fluid can be squirted from its glands at will.

Weasels use their musk glands to mark their territory but badgers do not have a specific purpose for theirs. They will, however, emit musk when they get scared or excited.

At a distance the badger's coat looks gray but the individual hairs are black and white. Most animals are lighter in color on their undersides, but the badger has black on its belly and legs. The American badger has a dark head with a white line on its forehead and neck.

Badgers are rarely seen because of their nocturnal nature. Many supposedly nocturnal animals are often active during the day as well, but it is rare to see a badger during daylight. Badgers come out of their "setts" during the long, dark nights of fall and winter, usually about an hour after sunset. The shorter nights of the summer cause them to come our earlier.

The male, or boar, and the female, or sow, generally mate for life. Mating takes place in July or August but gestation does not begin until December or January. This is an example of delayed implantation. That means the fertilized egg divided only a few times and then the growth is put on hold for quite some time. Litters, born in March, have 1 to 5 animals.

For the first couple months the young stay underground. When the family does emerge, the sow comes out first. She will test the air for danger and coaxes her cubs out behind her. Their first few trips outside are short and they do not venture far from the hole. As time goes on, their trips become longer and more frequent. By October the cubs have learned to feed on their own and leave their parents.

Badgers belong to the Carnivora family. The animal's body is designed for it to be able to attack large prey. The teeth are long and the jaws are hinged to prevent dislocation.

With all this, the badger lives on a diet consisting mostly of soft food, like earthworms.

Mice, young rabbits, moles, frogs, beetles and snails account for the meaty portion of their food while hedge apples, blackberries, acorns and grass fill out the vegetable section.

The badger has little to fear, except from man. Natural predators can find easier and less dangerous sources of meat. The defense mechanisms of this little varmint are formidable.

The chances of running across a single badger are low, since they mate for life and maintain family groups. Their escape method is very effective, too - they head for their hole.

The badger's reaction to danger is very exciting. If startled it begins to snort violently. This alone usually deters any attacker. Then it bristles its hair to look twice it normal size. The shock value of this defense stance and noise will put even hungry predators in their place.

The American badger is a unique member of our outdoor community. Its reclusiveness and nighttime habits surround this animal with mystery. Its aggressive nature and nasty disposition have served to give it a less than favorable reputation.

The truth is that this little varmint does way more good than harm. For that they deserve our thanks.