Описание слайда:
Badgers
Badger is the common name for various heavily built, carnivorous, burrowing mammals in the family Mustelidae, characterized by short legs, long snouts, well-developed anal scent glands, plantigrade locomotion, long, grizzled hair, and long, sharp, non-retractile claws on each of the five digits of the front feet. The family Mustelidae also includes the similar ferrets, weasels, wolverines, otters, stoats, and fishers, with the badgers being those mustelids in the three subfamilies of Melinae, Mellivorinae, and Taxideinae, depending on the taxonomic scheme. Eight extant species, placed in five genera, are recognized as badgers.
Badgers have a fierce reputation when defending themselves from predators, and thus the adult badger has few natural enemies, although they may be taken by large carnivores, such as wolves and lynx. However, the young are taken by a number of carnivores and birds of prey, including foxes, eagles, and wolverines. Badgers consume a wide variety of animal and plant life, including earthworms, insects, small vertebrates, and roots and fruit. They thus contribute to terrestrial systems as part of food chains. For humans, they have been hunted and trapped for the meat and hair.