Badger

The badger is heavy-set and broad-shouldered with short powerful legs. It is a formidable adversary if cornered, but is not the brawler it is reputed to be. In fact, the badger is often quite tolerant of other animals. It will even share its own den with red fox.

The badger is at home in plains country, where it uses two-inch front claws to dig out ground-dwelling rodents. It also digs an intricate den system, and, at the end of a long tunnel, builds a grass-lined nest.

A distinctive white stripe runs from the badger's nose over its head to the nape of its neck. The fur is yellowish-gray, long, very thick, and the skin loose-fitting. Its long hair, incidentally, is commonly used to make shaving brushes. Average weight of an adult male is 24 pounds; females average 17 pounds.

The badger feeds primarily on mice, ground squirrels, and gophers. In fact, it is the only predator that can dig out the deep-burrowing pocket gopher. Badgers are also fond of snails, grasshoppers, bird eggs, honey, insect larvae, and snakes.

Badgers are found over most of Minnesota except in the heavily forested northeast. They are nocturnal creatures. During cold weather, they keep to their burrows, probably in a state of dormancy.