📷 User:Orland · CC BY-SA 2.5
📷 Jarlhelm
📷 CiaranG at English Wikipedia
IUCN: Least Concern
European Badger
Meles meles
KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassMammalia›OrderCarnivora›FamilyMustelidae›GenusMeles
About
European badgers live in the largest social groups of any mustelid, sharing multi-generational underground setts with dozens of entrances. Their black-and-white striped face is unmistakable, and after rain they feed mostly on earthworms detected by smell. Though protected in many countries they still face persecution, road deaths, and culling tied to bovine tuberculosis debates.
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Deciduous woodland, hedgerows, grassland, farmland, and suburban gardens
🍃Diet Omnivore — earthworms, insects, fruit, roots, and small vertebrates
📏Size & Weight Body 60–90 cm
•weight 7–17 kg
⏳Lifespan 3–5 years wild; up to 15 in care
🗺Range Europe east to the Volga, into Asia Minor and parts of Central Asia
MammalMustelid
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Deciduous woodland, hedgerows, grassland, farmland, and suburban gardens
🍃Diet Omnivore — earthworms, insects, fruit, roots, and small vertebrates
📏Size & Weight Body 60–90 cm
•weight 7–17 kg
⏳Lifespan 3–5 years wild; up to 15 in care
🗺Range Europe east to the Volga, into Asia Minor and parts of Central Asia
Photo Credits
#1User:Orland · CC BY-SA 2.5
#2Jarlhelm · Public domain
#3CiaranG at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
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