American Badger

digger · North America · carnivore · tough animal

Built for burrowing. American badgers have short, powerful legs and sharp claws that make them champion diggers. They can tunnel through hard ground faster than you'd think possible.

Striped face pattern. A white stripe runs down the badger's face from nose to neck, which makes them easy to spot even though they're mostly active at night.

Lives across the continent. You can find American badgers from the western deserts all the way to the northeastern United States, and they're also in parts of Canada and northern Mexico.

Underground hunter. Badgers hunt mice, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, and other small animals by digging them out of their burrows. They're so good at this that other animals sometimes use abandoned badger holes as homes.

Seriously tough customers. Despite their small size, American badgers are fearless and will defend themselves against much larger animals, making them one of nature's toughest little fighters.