Badger Meles meles #shorts

#shorts #Badger #Meles-meles

The badger, with its meter in length and a weight varying from 15 to 25 kg depending on the season, represents one of the largest species of mustelids. The appearance is almost bearish, with a sturdy body and short strong legs with large claws suitable for digging: the characteristic black mask on the white face makes the badger unmistakable.
The rate prefers to live in groups of 5-6 individuals but can be even higher depending on the extent of the occupied territory and the availability of food. Normally this animal is peaceful towards other strangers, with the exception of the mating period. The badger in this circumstance defends its territoriality by triggering fights against other males with bites and scratches that can also cause serious injuries or even the death of one of the contenders. He is suspicious of humans and tends to move away peacefully but if nevertheless, if he is annoyed, he proves to be a formidable and tenacious opponent. The badger is a nocturnal animal that spends the day sleeping in one of the many burrows that it digs in its territory. It prefers wooded soil, starting from natural cavities in the ground or in rocks, along natural and artificial banks or at the base of a tree that is used to sharpen the nails. The entrance to the den consists of a tunnel no less than 5-10 meters long which leads to a living room usually located at a depth of 1-2 meters. From here other tunnels depart that can lead to other rooms or to the outside and are used as air intakes or in case of danger. Badger burrows are often shared with other animals such as wild rabbits or foxes. During the winter, the animal does not usually go into hibernation, although it considerably slows down its activity and even stays inside the den for days or weeks in case of particularly harsh weather. In colder areas, the animal falls into a real hibernation, blocking the entrances of the burrows with soil and dry leaves and ceasing to come out of the den with the first snowfalls, remaining in this state for a period that can extend even from November. in April. In anticipation of this, badgers tend to accumulate abundant body fat during the summer and early autumn, as well as collect abundant insulating material to line their burrows. Generally, the diet of the badger, especially in spring, is made up of at least half of earthworms, while during the autumn acorns predominate in it: followed by cereals, fruit, tubers and meat coming mostly from dead animals. When available, the animal consumes wheat, corn, oats and barley, as well as various types of fruit fallen from the branch due to ripening or due to winds or rains, berries, roots, acorns of oaks and mushrooms: especially during the winter. and the dry periods, moreover, to obtain water the badger also feeds on herbs and clover. The badger also eats various types of insects (mainly beetles, tipule, wasps, bees and bumblebees, of which it also destroys and eats the nests, regardless of the bites, to which it is indifferent thanks to the protection provided by the thick hair and skin. thick and other invertebrates such as snails, small mammals such as mice and moles, reptiles such as lizards, snakes including the viper, amphibians and birds with their eggs. Larger animals are usually consumed only once they have died from other causes in the form of cadaver, although the badger is perfectly capable of killing prey of comparable size to its own or even larger, such as a rabbit or a lamb. Animals potentially dangerous to badgers include wolves and stray dogs. However, these animals rarely choose to turn to such a demanding prey if they have other food sources.