- A medium-sized, heavily furred mammal. Thick neck, broad shoulders with short powerful legs, sharp teeth, and claws.
- They are found living in the forests of Europe and western Asia
- The most commonly known badgers are the white and black striped badgers in western Europe. They have black faces with distinctive white markings, grey bodies with a light-coloured stripe from head to tail, and dark legs with light-coloured underbellies. They grow to around 90 cm (35 in) in length including tail.
- The behaviour of badgers differs by family, but all shelter underground, living in burrows called setts, which may be very extensive.
- Badgers prefer dry, open grasslands, though they are very adaptable. Some also live in the woods, quarries, hedgerows, sea cliffs, and moorland.
- These highly social animals have distinct social groups, typically of four to six adults
- Badgers can run at 25–30 km/h (16–19 mph) for short periods of time.
- The diet of the badger consists largely of earthworms, insects, grubs, and the eggs and young of ground-nesting birds. They also eat small mammals, amphibians and reptiles, as well as roots and fruit
- Badgers normally may live for 10 to 12 years.
