Description

This badger has a stocky 3-foot body, short tail and short but powerful legs armed with strong claws on the front feet. It is 16 to 28 inches long, and weighs up to 26 pounds. The coat is grayish to reddish-brown in color, with a white throat, buff-colored underside, dark brown to black feet, and black and white markings on the face. The muzzle is black, with two black stripes extending from the nose over the eyes and blending to gray on the back. A white stripe extends from the nose, along the top of head and over its back. This stripe is what most distinguishes the American badger from the Eurasian badger.

Distribution and Habitat

The American badger ranges from southern Canada through the western United States and into Mexico. It prefers areas of open grassland and deciduous woodlands, but has been seen in mountainous areas, marshes, farmlands, and deserts.

<f