Badger

Lore & Background

The word 'badger' originally applied to the European badger (Meles meles), from earlier 'bageard' (16th century), referring to the white mark on its forehead. A synonym is 'brock' (Old English: brocc), a Celtic loanword meaning 'grey'. The Proto-Germanic term was *þahsuz, possibly from a root meaning 'to construct', referring to digging setts. A male European badger is a boar, a female is a sow, and a young badger is a cub; in North America, young are usually called kits. A group of colonial badgers is called a cete or clan. A badger's home is called a sett.

In Their Own Story

The pub's back door bangs shut. Conker wipes a pint glass with a rag that's seen better decades, humming a tune he half-remembers. The jukebox crackles. Then the floorboards groan — a weight settling, a shadow swallowing the neon glow of the 'Drunken Clam' sign. Badger's jaw works. He doesn't raise his voice. He doesn't need to. He just sets a thick paw on the bar, knocks a stack of glasses into a slow, clattering tumble, and says two words Conker has heard a hundred times before: 'Move, sod.' Conker grins, tucks the rag into his waistband, and reaches under the counter. The night is young, and neither of them is done.

Reader's Guide

Badgers have short, wide bodies, short legs for digging, elongated weasel-like heads with small ears, and tails varying by species. They have black faces with white markings, grey bodies with a light stripe from head to tail, and dark legs with light underbellies. They grow to around 90 cm (35 in) including tail. The European badger is one of the largest; the American badger, hog badger, and honey badger are smaller; stink badgers are smaller still; ferret-badgers are the smallest. They weigh around 9–11 kg (20–24 lb), with some Eurasian badgers around 18 kg (40 lb). Badgers are nocturnal, can run at 25–30 km/h (16–19 mph) for short periods, and some species can climb. They shelter underground in setts. Some are solitary; others form clans (cetes) of 2 to 15. Diet varies: Eurasian badgers eat earthworms, insects, grubs, eggs, small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, roots, and fruit; American badgers are fossorial carnivores catching rodents by digging; honey badgers consume honey, porcupines, and venomous snakes. Badgers can become intoxicated from rotting fruit.

Did You Know?

• Badgers are polyphyletic, meaning they are not a natural taxonomic group but are united by body shape and digging adaptations.
• The American badger is the most basal mustelid, with an estimated split date of about 17.8 million years ago.
• Asiatic stink badgers (genus Mydaus) are actually members of the skunk family (Mephitidae), not the weasel family.
• Badger mandibular condyles connect to long cavities in their skulls, giving resistance to jaw dislocation and limiting jaw movement to hinging or sliding side to side.
• The honey badger can climb trees to access honey from bees' nests.