Badgers
are the UK’s largest land predator and are one of the most well-known
British species. They are famed for their black and white stripes and
sturdy body, using their strong front paws to dig for food and to
perfect their hobbit-like burrows, called ‘setts’.
About
The
black-and-white striped badger is a well-known species in the UK. It is
our largest land predator feeding on small mammals, birds’ eggs, worms,
fruit and plants. Badgers live in large family groups in burrows under
the ground called a ‘sett’. You know if a sett is lived in as it is
usually neat and tidy with clean doorways marked with piles of used
bedding (hay and leaves). There will also be a particularly smelly pit
nearby that the badgers use as a toilet! They have strong front paws,
which they use to dig for food. Cubs are born in January or February but
spend the first few months underground only coming out in spring when
it is a little warmer. How to identify
An
unmistakable animal, the badger is large and grey, with a short, fluffy
tail, black belly and paws, and a black-and-white striped face.Distribution
Found
throughout England, Wales, Scotland (except for the far north) and
Northern Ireland. Absent from Scottish islands, the Isle of Man, the
Isles of Scilly and the Channel Islands.Did you know?
Badgers can eat several
hundred earthworms a night! They are also one of the only predators of
hedgehogs - their thick skin and long claws help them to get past the
vicious spines. If food is in short supply, badgers will forage during
the day, as well as at night. If there are badgers nearby, you can tempt
them into your garden by leaving unsalted peanuts out - a tasty snack
for our striped friends.
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon