On school field trips we are frequently asked, "What lives in that hole." A better question might be "what doesn't." A mammal hole may be built as a private residence but most likely will turn into an Airbnb over time. Our own Richard Hermann documented the guests at a lodging on his land.
"It was mid-May, looking for invasive plants, when I came across this newly dug burrow. I was guessing /wishing I had found a fox den. I set my game camera up to discover who's residence this might be. I had left the camera there for about 2 weeks undisturbed. The first pictures showed a ground hog using the den. Then, an armadillo was going in and out of it. I was amazed as to how many animals were checking out this den, raccoons came by, deer, coyote, opossum and then, a badger!
Of my badger pictures only one was a day time picture, all the others were night time. The badger only stayed about 6 days in this den. I didn't know if it was my activity that had caused him/her to leave so I stopped trying to get more pictures. I found out since then that they often just use a den for a little while and then move on."
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| Nocturnal portrait of Richard's badger |
Richard contacted Rhonda Rimer of MDC about the range of badgers in Missouri. Her reply:"The sightings go back into some of the historic records. The earliest record I have is from 1940. I have about 35 records between 1940-1975. However, there was no formal reporting system at that time, so these records have been drawn from books or other historic documents. The data I shared with you by no means represent all known sightings. Even with more recent records, these are just ones that MDC knows about or have been reported to us."
Badgers are primarily a mammal of open country, favoring prairies and open woodlands. They are more common in northwestern Missouri over the southern woodlands as seen in this map. They were probably never common in Missouri and "by 1900 had practically disappeared from the state."* It is still listed as a species of concern in Missouri and was protected here until 1960 when a limited trapping season was opened.
Badgers tend to move a lot, and frequently have a lot of lodgings to choose from. Some are dug while capturing a ground squirrel, one of their favorite meals, and then it becomes another lodge. Digging a new hole is no big chore for a badger who can dig faster than we can with a shovel. Their front claws excavate dirt that slides under their flat belly to the back claws which can throw dirt as far as five feet away!* At that rate, a ground squirrel doesn't have much of a chance.
Badgers are strictly carnivores with their usual prey being ground squirrels, gophers and mice in season. They also will eat rabbits, ground nesting birds and their eggs, insects in late summer and the occasional hibernating rattlesnake which is eaten except for the head! Larger prey is occasionally dragged down into a burrow to be eaten at leisure.
Coyotes are their main predator but they have a complex relationship. More frequently they may hunt cooperatively and they have even been seen playing together.** Hawks also have been known to follow a badger on the prowl.
Richard's badger spent six nights in the den, a long term stay, as most sources report that they move every few days or even daily. He must have been a very good host.
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* The Wild Mammals of Missouri, Schwartz and Schwartz.
** Wikipedia on Badgers
For detailed information, see Peterson Guide Behavior of North American Mammals
Have you seen a badger lately? MDC wants to know. See this link for details.