Mammals
American Badger
Taxidea taxus · also called American badgers
Working alongside a hunting coyote across open grassland, an American badger flushes a ground squirrel from its burrow with astonishing digging speed, part of a genuine cooperative partnership documented between these two very different predators.
Overview
The American badger, Taxidea taxus, is a powerfully built digging carnivore native to open grassland and prairie habitat across a broad range of western and central North America. Its remarkable excavation speed, distinctive cooperative hunting partnership with coyotes, and broad, flattened body built specifically for digging make it one of the more physically specialised and behaviourally fascinating mustelids found on the continent.
A digger with an unlikely hunting partner
Few predator partnerships in nature are as well documented as the one between the American badger and the coyote, two unrelated hunters that have learned to combine an underground specialist with an above-ground chaser for mutual benefit.
Status
Least Concern, widespread and stable across suitable grassland habitat throughout western and central North America.
American Badger: common questions
How does the American badger dig so quickly?
This species has an unusually broad, flattened body and massive front claws specifically adapted for digging, allowing it to move through soil at a remarkable speed that lets it pursue burrowing rodents directly into their own tunnels or dig an emergency escape burrow within minutes.
Do American badgers really hunt with coyotes?
Yes, this species has been documented cooperatively hunting alongside coyotes in several parts of its range, with the coyote chasing prey that flees above ground while the badger flushes prey out of burrows, a genuine cross-species partnership that benefits both predators.
What does the American badger eat?
This species feeds mainly on ground squirrels, prairie dogs, and other burrowing rodents, typically dug directly out of their own tunnels using the badger's powerful digging ability rather than chased down in the open.
Is the American badger a social animal?
No, this species is generally solitary, maintaining and defending its own territory for most of the year and coming together with other individuals mainly during the breeding season, a pattern typical of many mustelid species.