Badger Den Phillips County Montana, June 2018
Badger Sow
A female Badger is called a Sow; males are Boars and babies are Cubs. When I stumbled upon the den site, the female was guarding the entrance to her den or "Sett". I visited the den on and off for several weeks and each time I approached the den, the female would pop up to see "what was going on". She was very calm, trusting, and allowed her two cubs to exit the den and play in my presence. I was respectful of their space and very careful to photograph them from a distance with my telephoto lens.
Badger Sow and Cub
Although Badgers have a reputation as irritable and cantankerous, this Sow was incredibly tolerant and gentle with her offspring. She sat patiently as the cubs bit her ears, pulled her fur and climbed on her. Not once did I observe her scald or discipline her cubs. However their was a respect and understanding because subtle behaviors would inspire obedience and either send the cubs underground or prevent them from wandering too far from the den. Notice the massive claws and powerful arms designed for making a subterranean living.
Entrance to the Sett
A Badger den is called a Sett and consists of a tunnel that terminates in a grass lined birth and sleeping chamber. The tunnel may be as long as 30 feet and 10 feet deep. Each morning while the Sow watched, the 2 Badger Cubs would wrestle and explore around the mound. Usually by 8:00 am or so, the cubs would enter the den for the entire day and emerge again near sunset.
Badger Cub
A Badger Cub poses on a dirt mound at the entrance to the "sett". Note the immense claws that allow this animal to dig. Badgers not only excavate massive burrows; they use their claws to unearth ground squirrels and other prey. Much of their play time was devoted to non-specific digging; the cubs would sit on the mound and just dig holes for fun. If I had hands like a track-hoe excavator bucket, I would dig holes too.
Sibling Badger Cubs
Badgers typically produce 2-3 Cubs in a litter. This Sow had 2 cubs; one was quite a bit more aggressive and relentless in biting, pinning, and dominating the smaller sibling. They did also spend time snuggling with each other. Note the tiny teeth called primary or milk teeth; humans refer to them as baby teeth. Adult Badgers have massive powerful dentitions and a mandible that is locked to the skull and nearly impossible to dislocate. This allows badgers and other mustelids including the wolverine to grasp prey and crush bones.
Sibling Badger Cubs
Each evening near sunset, the Sow would pop her head up and look around before allowing the cubs to exit their Sett. She always looked directly at me but obviously did not consider me a threat as she always permitted the Cubs to emerge and play.
Delayed Implantation
Badgers mate during May, have a gestation period of 6-8 weeks and give birth 6 months later while in hibernation. How can they gestate for 2 months but give birth 6 months after mating? At conception the fertilized egg (blastocyst) remains viable but does not implant into the uterus and does not continue to divide and grow. In a way the fertilized egg is in a state of suspended animation. The blastocyst remains dormant for nearly 6 months! Badgers are able to delay implantation of the egg until winter. During hibernation, the egg will implant into the uterus and gestate for 6-8 weeks. The cubs are born during hibernation and nurse and grow until spring. WHAT IS THE BENEFIT OF DELAYED IMPLANTATION? In a nutshell, if the female is “fat” and healthy and biologically able to support cubs while in hibernation then the egg implants and becomes a developing embryo. If the female is undernourished and biologically unfit to nurse and support offspring, then the egg will not implant and simply resorb. Delayed Implantation is an adaptive and survival mechanism that ensures the survival of both the female and her offspring. If the female went into hibernation “skinny” and malnourished, she would not have the reserves to nurse cubs and maintain her own health. She could conceivably die and so would the cubs.
