American Badger
The American Badger (Taxidea taxus) calls regions of Canada, the USA and Mexico home. They can be found burrowing and digging into the ground in wide open areas with deep, dry soil. They have a very stocky build, with short but extremely powerful legs. Their fur is very shaggy looking, and is a dark gray to red-brown in color. Their faces are colored white, but have wide black lines. American Badgers also sport a white line that runs down the length of their backs, onto their face and down their nose. As mentioned, their legs are short but powerful, and are made for digging. American Badgers have extremely sharp elongated claws on each paw. Their tails are short, and only grow to lengths of about 12 cm.
The American Badger is a member of the Mustelidae family. They share this family with (and are related to) the wolverine, ferret and weasel. The American Badger also has three recognized subspecies: Taxidea taxus berlandieri, Taxidea taxus jacksoni, and Taxidea taxus jeffersoni.
American Badger Statistics
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Average Length: 50 – 85 cm
Average Weight: 5 – 10 kg
Distribution: North America
American Badger Classification
| - Kingdom: Animalia |
| - Phylum: Chordata |
| - Class: Mammalia |
| - Order: Carnivora |
| - Family: Mustelidae |
| - Genus: Taxidea |
| - Species: Taxidea taxus |