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The European badger is a powerfully built, black, white, brown, and grey animal with a small head, a stocky body, small black eyes, and a short tail. Its weight varies, being 7–13 kg (15–29 lb) in spring, but building up to 15–17 kg (33–37 lb) in autumn before the [[winter sleep]] period. It is [[Nocturnality|nocturnal]] and is a [[Sociality|social]], burrowing animal that sleeps during the day in one of several [[sett]]s in its territorial range. These burrows have multiple chambers and entrances, and are extensive systems of underground passages of {{convert|35|-|81|m|abbr=on}} length. They house several badger families that use these setts for decades. Badgers are fussy over the cleanliness of their burrow, carrying in fresh bedding and removing soiled material, and they defecate in [[Latrine (animal)|latrine]]s strategically situated outside their setts or en route to other setts.<ref name ="Kilshaw">{{cite journal | vauthors=Kilshaw K, Newman C, Buesching CD, Bunyan J, Macdonald DW | title=Coordinated latrine use by European badgers, Meles meles: Potential consequences for territory defense | journal=Journal of Mammalogy | volume=90 | issue=5 | date=2009 | pages=1188–1198 | doi=10.1644/08-MAMM-A-200.1 | jstor=27755113 | s2cid=86435009 | doi-access=free }}</ref>
Although classified as a [[carnivore]], the European badger is an [[omnivore]], feeding on a wide variety of plant and animal foods, including [[earthworm]]s, large [[insect]]s, small [[mammal]]s, [[carrion]], [[cereals]], and [[tuber]]s. Litters of up to five cubs are produced in spring. The young are weaned a few months later, but usually remain within the family group. The European badger has been known to share its burrow with other species, such as [[rabbit]]s, [[red fox]]es, and [[raccoon dog]]s, but it can be ferocious when provoked, a trait which has been exploited in the now-illegal [[blood sport]] of [[badger-baiting]].
==Nomenclature==
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==Distribution and habitat==
The European badger is native to most of Europe. Its range includes Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Crete, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia
The distributional boundary between the ranges of European and [[Asian badger]]s is the [[Volga River]], the European species being situated on the western bank.<ref name=":0" /> The boundary between the ranges of the European and [[Caucasian badger]]s is in the [[North Caucasus]], but a clear boundary has not been defined, and they are [[Sympatry|sympatric]] in some regions, potentially forming a [[hybrid zone]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Abramov |first1=A. V. |last2=Puzachenko |first2=A. Yu. |date=2013 |title=The taxonomic status of badgers (Mammalia, Mustelidae) from Southwest Asia based on cranial morphometrics, with the redescription of ''Meles canescens'' |url=https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3681.1.2 |journal=Zootaxa|volume=3681 |issue=1|pages=44–58 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.3681.1.2 |pmid=25232583}}</ref> They are common in [[European Russia]], with 30,000 individuals having been recorded there in 1990. They are abundant and increasing throughout their range, partly due to a reduction in [[rabies]] in Central Europe. In the UK, badgers experienced a 77% increase in numbers during the 1980s and 1990s.<ref name=iucn /> The badger population in Great Britain in 2012 is estimated to be 300,000.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.britishwildlifecentre.co.uk/planyourvisit/animals/badger.html |title=Badger: ''Meles meles'' |year=2012 |publisher=British Wildlife Centre |access-date=2013-07-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304042857/http://www.britishwildlifecentre.co.uk/planyourvisit/animals/badger.html |archive-date=2016-03-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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