Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: chris on 03/10/2015 08:55:36
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What do badgers eat?
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Lots of earthworms, largest part of their diet.
They are classed as carnivores but will eat almost anything, love peanuts.
When few earthworms will eat snails and slugs. Also eat carrion, carrots, young birds, eggs, acorns, berries, windfall apples, and will push over beehives to get the honey.
If it is edible they will eat it, but do seem to have preferences eg worms. As a result a badger lat is not a pretty sight.
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Thank you. My daughter Amelia is very grateful - this will help her with her homework!
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Thank you. My daughter Amelia is very grateful - this will help her with her homework!
Does she watch springwatch? I remember seeing night vision footage of a badger getting into an area with ground nesting birds, it quickly scoffed 6 nestworths of chicks and eggs.
A homework fact - an average adult badger will eat around 200 earthworms a night. [xx(]
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You do your daughter no service by coming here like this for her..
The reason that I know who Thotmose the 3rd was today is that my parents bought an encyclopedia and- instead of answering such questions - told me to go look it up.
After a while I was reading the Encyclopedia in addition to Dr. Strange comic books to kill the dulls of the cold war 50's
If you think that she is too young, then get the "b" volume, put her on your lap and read the article on badgers to her.
But the best way to teach her about badgers is to give her (or read to her) The Wind in the Willows.
Life is too short and daughters are too precious to waste time farkling around here instead of enjoying face time with them.
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Thank you for that lecture in parenting and education. Actually, I was showing my daughter different ways to find information online, which she found very instructive. Encyclopaedias are online now, not on dusty library shelves, so it's critical that children understand the resources that the Internet has to offer.
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The diet of the Eurasian badger consists largely of earthworms, insects, grubs, and the eggs and young of ground-nesting birds. They also eat small mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds, as well as roots and fruit.[17] In Britain, they are the main predator of hedgehogs, which have demonstrably[18] lower populations in areas where badgers are numerous, so that hedgehog rescue societies will not release hedgehogs into known badger territories.[19] In some areas they are known to predate lambs, and may bite a ewe defending her lamb, almost always leading to infection of the bite.[citation needed] They are occasional predators of domestic chickens,[20] and are able to break into enclosures that a fox cannot. In southern Spain, badgers feed to a significant degree on rabbits.[21] The honey badger of Africa consumes honey, porcupines and even venomous snakes (such as the puff adder); they will climb trees to gain access to honey from bees' nests. American badgers are fossorial carnivores – i.e. they catch a significant proportion of their food underground, by digging. They can tunnel after ground-dwelling rodents at speed.
Badgers have been known to become intoxicated with alcohol after eating rotting fruit.[22]
-Wikipedia, "Badgers"
A bit more comprehensive than an off the cuff remark here, perhaps. But, as you say, she is your daughter.
It is true that libraries are online -- along with many, many things that you might not willingly let within a mile of your daughter. None of those things were found in the World Book Encyclopedia in the book case at chez Thutmose.
Generally speaking I prefer hanging out with non-caucasians more and more as my hair turns white.
They do not assume at first glance that a senior is a clueless meddler who has nothing to offer in things to avoid while raising a child.
再见
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Chris, just to say that my "off the cuff remarks" are based on personal observation and working with both wildlife photographers and trackers.
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Hi Colin - that sounds interesting - what was the background for your photographer and tracker interactions?
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Hi Colin - that sounds interesting - what was the background for your photographer and tracker interactions?
Mostly from an interest in sound recording (early career), photography and interest in wildlife. Since I retired I found quite a few professional wildlife photographers interested in swapping technical advice on recording technique, camera triggers, etc for experience and advice on wildlife watching, behaviour and tracking. Knowing my interest, and having been taken out predawn when little, the now grown up kids bought me a wildlife tracking course which really consolidated a lot of what I had learnt. Of the friends I've made one was winner on BBC Countryfile calendar, and another has a 'commended' photo in Wildlife photographer of the yr, but the real fun is learning about the animal behaviour. With 3yr old granddaughter and 1yr grandson, looks like many more opportunities for predawn forays and stakeouts.
Was interested in your question on Whales and salt, not sure about the answer, but it did remind me that I've been looking at buying a hydrophone and doing some underwater recordings. New year project!
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Hi Chris!
In addition to what Colin has already listed, badgers will also eat small rodents, insects, frogs and lizards as part of their normal diet.
I wonder if frogs count when it comes to "eating your greens".
Is your daughter a budding biologist, Chris?
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Here's one that is a little different..Honey badger facts...
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Here's one that is a little different..Honey badger facts...
That's a lot of sweet teeth [:)]