Badgers are a staple among our British countryside and their striped faces are an iconic part of British Wildlife. The humble badger has appeared in popular culture throughout the years; from Beatrix Potter to Kenneth Grahame’s ‘Wind in The Willows’. It’s even the symbol to Hufflepuff House in JK Rowling’s popular Harry Potter series.
Badgers have strong limbs and sharp claws that help dig burrows and find food underground. They make their homes, known as a Sett, by digging tunnels and caves using grass and leaves for bedding. These setts can survive for centuries, housing several generations of badgers, which consist of chambers and tunnels that have several different entrances.
There are eight different species of badger, however the Eurasian is most common in Britain. In fact, the Eurasian badger is native not only to the British Isles, but to most of Europe and parts of the Middle East as well. They are said to have been in Britain for over 250,000 years!
Badgers are short-legged, squat-bodied, nocturnal mammals. Although badgers are very social, they live mostly secret lives, emerging at night to forage for food, indulging in a well-earned sleep during the day. They are part of the family Mustelidae, the same as otters, ferret, polecats, weasels, and wolverines.
Badgers on average can weigh 9-11kg and can grow to nearly a meter in length. They can run up to 30km/h / 19mph for a short period of time, yikes! and can be aggressive if cornered.
Badgers have a varied diet and will eat anything from meat to fruit, or even bulbs and birds’ eggs. Their thick skin and long, sharp claws lend them the perfect tools for digging, and also mean they are one of the few animals that can get past a hedgehog’s defences to make it a tasty snack. They are fond of elderberries, so you’re likely to find elderberry bushes near the entrance of their setts. Earthworms make up 80% of their day to day diet and they can eat several hundred of them in a single night. 
Badgers keen sense of smell is roughly 800 times sharper than our own. Perhaps because of their powerful noses, badgers create latrine pits in the sett as a bathroom, nothing stinky in their homes! They change out their bedding regularly too to avoid lice and fleas.
Our striped faced friends also have a great bond with family and a strong sense of community. Just like humans, badgers comfort their young (cubs). In one sett being observed a 6 month old cub was seen to throw his paws over his ears during a loud thunderstorm. In a sweet gesture, other badgers sat close to him and cuddled up to offer comfort.
We hope you are lucky enough to see one of these curious beasts on your travels
Written by Faye McGregor
