European Badger

Meles meles

### Regions

United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan

## Habitat

### Water Area

360 m² +36 m²/ea. add'l
0 m²

### Temperature

0 m²
‒7‒38 ℃

## Social

### Fem. Bachelor

1‒7 (up to 6 males, up to 6 females)
1‒3
1‒7

### Sterility

2 years
Death

### Interbirth

2 months
12 months

## Taxonomy

### Order

Mammalia
Carnivora

### Genus

Mustelidae
Meles

The **European Badger** or **Eurasian Badger** (*Meles meles*) is a mid-sized Eurasian mustelid featured in the Europe Pack DLC for *Planet Zoo*.

## Zoopedia Description

### General

**Populaion in the Wild:** 562,000

The European badger (or Meles meles) is a large species of mustelid inhabiting woodlands, shrublands, and even man-made parks and pastures throughout Europe. The badger's most distinct feature is its facial pattern, with two distinct black stripes extending from the neck over ears and eyes down to the snout, across a white face. Its body is covered in thick grey fur, with black legs and lighter fur on the sides. European badgers have a shoulder height of 25cm to 30cm and a head-body length of 60cm to 90cm, with a short tail measuring an additional 12cm to 24cm. Male and female badgers are approximately the same size but males tend to be heavier, weighing 9.1kg to 16.7kg while females weigh between 6.6kg and 13.9kg.

While European badgers were hunted for sport in the 1800s and population controls are still enforced in some countries, the species is not endangered and its numbers are increasing in most of its range.

### Social

The European badger lives in small family groups of a male, female, and their offspring, in larger loosely bonded adult groups or solitarily. It lives in dens, so-called "setts", of which one group may have several across its territory. Males may become aggressive towards each other during mating season, and have a dominance hierarchy based on age and size.

### Reproduction

In family groups, the dominant male and female will mate when the female is in oestrus, although the female may scent mark outside the sett to attract other males, who are likely to expand their territory during mating season to locate more females. Should two males meet while tracking a female they are likely to be aggressive towards each other.

Both males and females are likely to mate with multiple partners. Based on environmental conditions or whether the female is already caring for cubs she may go through delayed implantation, therefore it is not uncommon for a litter of badgers to have multiple fathers. Once embryos have been implanted, pregnancy lasts 7 weeks. Cubs are most likely to be born between January and March, though badgers can breed year-round. Litter sizes range from 1 to 5 cubs.

At birth, cubs are naked, blind and deaf and rely on their mother's care. They will remain in the sett until 8 to 10 weeks old. Around this time weaning begins, which is complete at 19 weeks old. Until the age of 6 months badger cubs remain with their mothers, after which they may start leaving their family setts based on badger population, food availability and their sex--female badgers are more likely to remain with their mothers to assist raising cubs, while males leave their natal sett in search of their own territory or an unrelated group. European badgers reach sexual maturity at around 1 year old but are unlikely to reproduce until they are 2 years old.

## Animal Care

 FEEDING STATIONS
 FOOD ENRICHMENT
Dog Ball · Skittle Feeder
Tennis Ball · Blood Scent Marker · Sprinkler

## Trivia

### Zoopedia Fun Facts

* In some European countries, badgers are attributed as the heralds of spring in folklore. They commonly occur in fables, where they are described as reclusive and courageous, likely due to their shy and nocturnal behavior.
* European badger hair is often used for shaving brushes and for making sporrans.
* European badgers commonly eat hedgehogs; one of the only species that are able to do so due to their tough paws and dextrous claws.
* European badgers were killed throughout the 1960s and 70s to prevent the spread of rabies. In the United Kingdom culling of European badger populations has led to a decrease of tuberculosis in cattle.
* European badgers do not eat or defecate in or near the sett; they create latrine areas to keep their sett clean.