2207_1552 Badgers At Play
Two badger siblings rolled and tumbled in the grass, snarling and biting, practicing to be the tough-as-nails, fearsome adults that they almost are. This was play. They appeared to be having fun.
I don't know whether badgers are impervious to pain, but consider this: rattlesnake venom, which kills or disables other small mammals, has no visible effect on an adult badger. Unless it is bitten on the nose. Then it may lose consciousness for a few minutes... before waking up and carrying on as if nothing has happened.
Very few predators will tangle with a badger. Powerful diggers, they can escape into the ground at breathtaking speed - digging backwards while facing their enemy! Look at the teeth and claws on display here... and keep in mind that this is a juvenile badger. This is its "cute" phase.
More to come...
Photographed in southwestern Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2022 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
2207_1552 Badgers At Play
Two badger siblings rolled and tumbled in the grass, snarling and biting, practicing to be the tough-as-nails, fearsome adults that they almost are. This was play. They appeared to be having fun.
I don't know whether badgers are impervious to pain, but consider this: rattlesnake venom, which kills or disables other small mammals, has no visible effect on an adult badger. Unless it is bitten on the nose. Then it may lose consciousness for a few minutes... before waking up and carrying on as if nothing has happened.
Very few predators will tangle with a badger. Powerful diggers, they can escape into the ground at breathtaking speed - digging backwards while facing their enemy! Look at the teeth and claws on display here... and keep in mind that this is a juvenile badger. This is its "cute" phase.
More to come...
Photographed in southwestern Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2022 James R. Page - all rights reserved.