All in the Badger Family

 

The badger is a member of the weasel family. There are eleven different species of badgers that are divided into three subfamilies, the Eurasian badger, the American badger, and the ratel or honey badger. The honey badger is found through out much of Africa and in a few places in southern Asia. The American badger is only found in North America. There are no badgers that are native to South America, or Australia

The American badger is found through out the western and central portions of North America. They live in dens that they dig with their long sharp claws. Grasslands and open prairie with are their preferred habitat especially those with sandy soil which is easier to dig in. The American badger is an omnivore but primarily eats pocket gophers, ground squirrels, marmots, prairie dogs, other rodents, burrowing owls and other ground nesting birds, amphibians, lizards, insects, carrion and some vegetable matter. Badgers are typically solitary except during the mating season in late summer. Like bears, badgers have a delayed pregnancy. Pregnancy usually occurs between December and February. The kits are born in March or April with a litter consisting of 1 to 5 kits. The kits are born blind and helpless. It takes about 4 to 6 weeks for their eyes to open and another week after before they begin to emerge from the den. It was May when I photographed this female with her 4 kit out at Yellowstone. With in a month or two after these pictures where taken the young will have left to go out on their own.