7 Types of Badgers (Animal Facts)
Badges are mammals that are medium to small in size and completely covered with coarse fur. They rely on an excellent sense of smell to avoid danger and locate food. Badgers are omnivores although the majority of their diet typically includes small amphibians, mammals, reptiles and insects. All types of badgers are equipped with long sharp teeth and claws they use to dig shelter, find food, and as defense from predators. Badgers also excrete an extremely foul odor from their anal glands, which in some cases can cause immobilization.
1) American Badger
Location: North America
Description: Gray or brown in color. The face has darker shades or black areas that are broken with white stripes. The largest white stripe runs along the center of the head from the base of the nose to the top of the neck.
Diet: They hunt for food by digging through the soil eating amphibians, arachnids, small mammals, insects and insect larva.
2) Burmese Ferret-Badger
Location: Southern portion of Asia
Description: A dark shade of white, gray or brown. The head, chin, neck, and front of the chest is white with dark areas or black lines.
Diet: They eat a wide variety of food by foraging along the ground and climbing through the trees eating dead animals, small mammals, birds and their eggs, amphibians, insects, worms, fruit and plant roots.
3) Chinese Ferret-Badger
Location: Asia
Description: Various shades of gray or brown. The neck and spots on the face and head are shades of white to light yellow or orange with a white stripe along the top of the body.
Diet: They eat a wide variety of food including dead animals, small mammals, birds and their eggs, amphibians, insects, worms, fruit and plant roots.
4) Eurasian Badger
Location: Asia, Britain, Europe, Ireland and Japan
Description: A white throat and black and white striped face, typically the black portions stretch the length of the head starting at the nose, running over the eyes, and stopping at the ears. The fur on the legs and under portions of the body is black and the upper portion is gray or brown.
Diet: They scavenge along the ground and dig through the dirt for their main food source of earthworms, but they also eat small mammals, insects, insect larva, dead animals, fruit, nuts and plant roots.
5) Everett’s Ferret-Badger
Location: Indonesia (Northern part of Borneo)
Description: A gray or dark gray color with a white chin, white spots on the face and head, and a white stripe along the top of the body.
Diet: They eat a wide variety of food including dead animals, small mammals, birds and their eggs, amphibians, insects, worms, fruit and plant roots.
6) Honey Badger
Location: Africa, Arabia, India and Middle East
Description: Black fur on the lower half of the body including the face and legs. The top portion is white and gray.
Diet: They attack beehives in search of brood, which is the bee’s larva stage. They also eat rodents, birds, small reptiles, fruits, berries and plant roots.
7) Javan Ferret-Badger
Location: Indonesia (island of Java)
Description: A dark gray or brown color with a long thin short body and short thin legs.
Diet: They eat a wide variety of food including dead animals, small mammals, birds and their eggs, amphibians, insects, worms, fruit and plant roots.
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Copyright © 2016 John Mallozzi
