Canada/Alberta: American Badger

This is quite a rare animal to see and I’ve never seen it before in my life in the wild – American Badger. They are solitary and mostly nocturnal, but occasionally can be seen in the early morning or at dusk. The American badger (Taxidea taxus) is native to North America (genetically different from the European Badger and Honey Badger in Africa), a burrowing mammal with a stocky, flattened body, with a distinctive white stripe running from its nose to the back of its head. They use their super powerful claws to excavate tunnels and dens. They are aggressive carnivores, feeding mostly l ground squirrels and prairie dogs in the open grasslands of North America.