Badger (Meles meles)
Badgers are widespread in Britain, and are most commonly distributed in the south west (Figure 1). They’re nocturnal animals and rarely seen during the day, the usually lie in an extensive system of underground tunnels and nesting chambers known as a sett.
Badgers belong to the family Mustelids. This family also includes otter and American mink, mustelids have 5 toes. While badgers are not as distinctive in body shape as their otter and mink family members, they do leave distinctive tracks that are likely to be found in muddy areas along waterways!
Figure 1. Badger distribution across the UK (green). (Mathews et al. 2018)
You can help us monitor populations of badger by downloading the Mammal Mapper app and participating in our latest project “Walk This Water Way”. All you need to do is walk at least 600m of waterway and record your sightings in the app. Enter the survey ID WTWW and get going! More information about Walk This Water Way can be found here.
Fun facts!
- Badgers have fat short bodies and short legs for digging.
- They are highly adaptable foragers that eat both plants and animals, earthworms form the majority of their diet.
- They can live up to 14 years.
- Badgers can live in social groups of two to 23 adults.
