American badger - description, habitat, lifestyle

The content of the article

1 Fur value and color
2 Life process
3 Favorite food
4 Mating and puberty
5 A little about kinship
6 The reality of our day
7 Video: American Badger (Taxidea taxus)

In a fairly large space, starting from Canada and ending with the territory of Mexico, one often comes across a fellow domestic badger, which in these places is called the American badger. This type appeared a very long time ago, almost six million years ago. Of course, the animal is not a close relative of his Russian brother, but most likely a distant one, due to his belonging to another genus. But still they are very similar to each other, only the American is inferior to an ordinary badger in its small dimensions. The size of the length of the body of an adult individual ranges from 44 to 74 cm, plus the tail from 10 to 16 cm.

Representatives of the marten family living in the wild reach a weight of 12 kg, and in captivity - 18 kg. Powerful forepaws with long claws allow the animal to actively dig the ground without bothering itself.

Fur value and color

The coat is very long and stiff. Once aboriginal people revered badger fur very much, used it as one of the elements of the national outfit. Applied in everyday life, as a brush for paint work and shaving brush. In the United States, an American badger is currently listed as an animal to be protected.

The badger has a pretty appearance, the skin is black underneath, and gray or reddish on the top and sides, a little black ripple may be present. A narrow white stripe runs through the center of the head and along the entire length of the back, starting from the nose and ending with the base of the tail. Muzzle animal spotted color.

bandicoot - description, habitat, lifestyle

Life process

For their residence, males fall in love with dry and almost desert areas, sometimes they prefer mountainous terrain. They live alone, but several female individuals settle nearby. For their convenience, they dig holes, each of which has its own purpose. The simplest ones are designed to shelter from the enemy, but it is more difficult to provide for several compartments and emergency entrances, they dig out for the female with the children. If there are summer cottages or abandoned housing nearby? nj a hole can be dug right there. In the face of imminent danger, animals can create a shelter in a matter of seconds, hide directly near a predatory muzzle. But thanks to their tough fur, rarely attacking adults, predators hunt young animals while they have a less rough skin. The limits of its territory are marked with anal secretions with a pungent odor.

Favorite food

Food preferences are given to small rodents, chicks, insects and worms. In rare cases, it can arrange a carrion snack. Snakes are a kind of delicacy. In the autumn, the appetite increases several times, badgers try to create fat deposits before the start of winter hibernation. Due to these subcutaneous deposits can live all winter.

They lead an active lifestyle at night, they like to spend the day in a dream. In deserted areas and in sunny weather, badgers can leave their shelter even in the daytime.

Mating and puberty

Matrimonial games of this species begin in August and last only one month, but the fertilized egg does not take root for a long time, joins the uterus only after a few months, although the gestation period itself is six weeks. The duration of the full process of gestation, from mating and conception to birth, reaches 8 months.

The beginning of the birth of children in April, the end of the process of childbearing occurs in July.The number of cubs in one litter reaches 5 individuals, but most often two or three restless children are born. Babies are blind, but immediately covered with a small layer of smooth fur. Badgers are fed milk for seven weeks, only then can solid food be eaten.

Female puberty occurs much earlier than that of males. The female is ready for marriage already at four months of age, and the male matures only by the year.

shrew - description, habitat, lifestyle

A little about kinship

As already noted, in the distant relationship with the American counterpart are species inhabiting the territory of Russia and European countries. This is a ferret and ordinary badger. The main difference between the ferret type and its relatives from the marten family is the color of the coat of the back. This species contains five varieties.

An ordinary badger differs from other individuals of the family in its size and weight. It is larger and heavier. Such species do not settle alone, but in whole colonies, combining their burrows with each other in a whole city. In contrast to American relatives, it is a predatory animal. Lives in mixed and taiga forests, of which there are a lot in Russia. Therefore, most of this family settles precisely in our country. Like similar brethren, he prefers vigorous activity at night.

The reality of our day

In today's reality, you can see the American badger, following, for example, a group of people doing morning sport exercise. Over the years of existence, in the process of evolution, animals have ceased to perceive people as a threat to their safety. The most important enemy for them today is a vehicle, motorcycle or car.

There are cases that badgers inhabiting the territory of European countries are the cause of tuberculosis in livestock, they carry it. The American species is an exception; it does not infect other animals.

The life of badgers in the wild is small, only 5 years. But in zoological parks they extend their life to almost 20 years. Proper care and good nutrition are a guarantee of the longevity of the American badger.

Solongoi - description, habitat, lifestyle