They also dig to catch prey and to escape danger. Badgers can dig extremely fast. Badgers usually try to avoid their enemies by retreating or by tunneling underground. If they cannot escape an enemy, badgers become savage fighters. They use their claws and teeth as weapons and are protected by their thick fur and tough skin.
American badgers live in a variety of habitats, from grasslands to mountains.
They usually are most active during the night and feed chiefly on ground squirrels and prairie dogs. They also eat burrowing rodents, rabbits, lizards, birds, and insects. American badgers live alone. Males mate with females in the late summer. The female gives birth to one to five young the following spring.