American Badger (Taxidea taxus)

Size

• Is a large weasel, with a body length averaging 75 centimetres (30 inches).
• Average weight is about seven kilograms (14 pounds).

Appearance

• Has broad triangular head with short ears and a pointed nose.
• Body is thick-set, broad, squat and muscular with short powerful legs and a short tail.
• Front feet are uniquely adapted for digging, with partial webbing between the toes and claws up to five centimetres long.
• Fur is thick and longer on the sides, forming a fringe that, coupled with loose skin, adds to the flattened appearance and flowing nature as the animal moves.
• Fur is thick and longer on the sides, forming a fringe that, coupled with loose skin, adds to the flattened appearance and flowing nature as the animal moves.
  • Overall yellowish gray hue with a white stripe starting on the nose and extending back into the shoulders
  • A dark vertical triangular patch, or “badge”, behind the eyes surrounded by white or yellowish fur
  • Dark brown colouring on the lower legs, terminating in black at the extremities

• The badger was once common throughout the parkland and grassland regions south of the North Saskatchewan River, but its current distribution has been much reduced.
• Current range in Alberta extends roughly from the North Saskatchewan River south to the Montana border and from the foothills east to the Saskatchewan border.
• While distribution south of the North Saskatchewan River has been reduced, some limited expansion into territory north of the river has been documented.

Habitat

• Dens (burrows) are essential to the badger, serving as sites for diurnal (daytime) activity, food storage, birthing, and as the focus for foraging activities.

Food

• Primary food sources are northern pocket-gophers and Richardson's ground squirrels. Diet can be supplemented by a variety of other prey species, including:
  • Amphibians
  • Birds
  • Eggs
  • Mammals
  • Fish
  • Invertebrates
  • Molluscs
  • Plant material
  • Reptiles
• Badgers will also eat carrion and cache food items.

When Active

• Adult badgers hunt primarily at night and remain underground during the day.
• Juveniles tend to be active during daylight hours.

Breeding Behaviour

• Mating is believed to occur in August to September.
• A natal den is built out of bulky grasses in an expanded chamber. The den usually has one entrance, and a mound twice the size of a day-use den.
• Two to five young are born in early April.

Status

The American badger is classified as Sensitive in the current General Status of Alberta Wild Species report. See:

• General Status of Alberta Wild Species

Also see the Status of the American badger in Alberta report at:

• Detailed Status Report

In a subsequent detailed status assessment, Alberta's Endangered Species Conservation Committee identified the American badger as a Species of Special Concern—a species that without human intervention may soon become threatened with extinction. See information on the Endangered Species Conservation Committee and Species of Special Concern at:

• Species At Risk

Issues

• The species is dependent on fluctuating ground squirrel populations and may be declining in some areas of the province.
• Agricultural activities have probably encroached on badger habitat.
• Badgers are trapped, shot and poisoned by humans because their diggings are thought to:
  • Cause broken legs in livestock
  • Lead to water loss from irrigation canals
  • Cause damage to vehicles encountering their burrows
  • Cause damage in cemeteries when excavating into graves

Current management

Hunting

The American badger may be hunted, but not trapped, without a licence throughout the province, at all times of the year. See details in the Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations. To view the guide online or to order a printed copy, visit the My Wild Alberta website at:

• Hunting: Regulations

Trapping

Specific season information is provided in the current Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations. To view the guide online or to order a printed copy, visit the My Wild Alberta website at:

• Trapping: Regulations