The badger - better than its reputation

Created: May 30, 2022 9:51 AM

Meles meles

Height: 30 - 40 cm

Weight: 10 - 12 kg

The badger is the mustelid most often found close to us humans. This is down to the badger’s diet, which primarily consists of earthworms, slugs and other small creatures. There are plenty of these in the cultural landscape and in our gardens - which is why the badger readily seeks out built-up areas. Here the badger can also eat windfall fruit from fruit trees.

The badger has good hearing and an excellent nose, and very good claws for digging. The badger is short-sighted and sees poorly at long range. Everything about the badger is specially adapted to a life where the focus is on the ground rather than the paws - in the search for the next meal.

The badger digs itself a sett in slopes, recognisable by the large mound of earth lying outside the entrance. In the sett the badger will sleep through the winter.

Bites until it crunches?

There are many myths about the badger, which often portray it as both dangerous and aggressive. But the badger is first and foremost a peaceful animal looking for crawling creatures to eat.

Picture of a badger: Trond Sætre Stegarud, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grevling_(Meles_meles).jpg.jpg)

Next steps

• Wildlife and tracks — the hub
• Red fox — the cunning one — other small game
• Hare — other small game
• Small rodents — other small game

Learn more

• Artsdatabanken — species, status, Red List
• Miljødirektoratet — large carnivores — management
• NINA — the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research — research on Norwegian fauna
• Naturveilederen — Bjørn Henrik Stavdal Johansen — nature interpretation