Asian Badger

About this species

Size

Typically 50–70cm body length

Weight

Typically 3.5–9kg

Habitat

Open deciduous woodland, pasture, mixed forest, shrubland, and steppe

Range

Central and northern Asia, including Mongolia

The Asian badger, or sand badger, is generally smaller and paler than the European badger. Most animals are brownish grey, with lighter flanks and brown rather than black facial stripes. Those stripes narrow behind the eyes and pass above the ears, while the pale band along the crown is relatively short and narrow. Regional variation is extensive, but body length is commonly 50–70cm and mass roughly 3.5–9kg. Its stocky body, short strong legs, and long foreclaws are adapted for digging. (Wikipedia, general species account)

The species ranges across Mongolia, China, Korea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia. It favours open deciduous woodland adjoining pasture but also uses coniferous and mixed forest, shrubland, steppe, high country, and sometimes suburban margins. Asian badgers are strongly fossorial, although recent camera-trap evidence shows that they can climb trees. The source opened for this entry did not give a dependable species-wide diet or breeding account, so those facts are omitted rather than transferred from European or Japanese badgers. Mongolia-specific viewing sites were likewise not supported. (Wikipedia, general species account)

Description: Wildlife of Mongolia guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)