INTERESTING BADGER FACTS!

Although badgers are very social, they live mostly secret lives in underground homes and are nocturnal, emerging at night to forage for food and play with their brothers and sisters. These furry mammals are beloved around the world, from the “Badger State” of Wisconsin to the U.K., where it’s illegal to harm or kill them.

1) Just like humans, badgers live in homes with their families and love spending time with relatives. They have a strong sense of community with their immediate family.

2) Badgers keen sense of smell is about 800 times sharper than our own.

3) Badgers comfort their young during thunderstorms. In one sett, after a huge clap of thunder, a 6-month-old cub was observed putting his paws over his ears. In a sweet gesture, other badgers sat around the cub to comfort him.

4) Some badger homes are over 100 years old and are passed down to future generations. These underground burrows, known as “setts,” have up to 40 entrances and many meters of tunnels.

5) Badgers use grass for another reason, too: as bedding. They love to get cozy in their homes. They change their bedding daily, disposing of old leaves outside and bringing in a fresh new bundle to sleep on.

6) Perhaps because of their powerful noses, badgers keep their homes in tip-top shape by creating a latrine pit as a bathroom. They won’t defecate in their homes, instead making a pit out of dried grass and leaves just outside their burrow.

7) Brilliant badgers spend up to 70% of their time underground.

8) A group of badgers is called a cete.