Home Feedback Contents Search

Have You Seen A Badger?
 

Cariboo
Thompson-Okangan
East Kootenay

 

 

 

Have you seen a badger in BC?

We would love to hear about it - knowing where and when badgers have been sighted throughout the province allows us to keep track of where badgers still occur. WE NEED YOUR HELP!!

How can you tell if it what you saw really was a badger?

Click on the area in which you have seen badgers or their burrows to contact one of the regional Badger Hotlines:

For sightings of badgers in the Kootenay region For sightings in the Thompson and Okanagan regions For sightings in the Cariboo region

How do you know what to look for?

In British Columbia, badgers can sometimes be confused with yellow-bellied marmots. Both live in open forests and dig burrows. However, marmots are rodents that hibernate in winter and are slightly smaller than badgers. The greatest distinguishing characteristics of badger are the white stripe from the nose to the top of the head, white cheeks, and a black patch (“badge”) in front of each ear.

Badgers dig holes that are slightly elliptical or round in shape, on average 24 cm wide and 20 cm high. The burrows created by badgers have distinct horizontal claw marks in the sides of the burrow (often up to 1.5 cm between claw marks) and it is sometimes possible to find badger hairs at the entrance or in the soil that has been excavated. The “plume” of soil at the entrance to the burrow is quite noticeable and often up to 2 metres in length. Holes dug by yellow-bellied marmots are smaller and lack the lateral claw marks, although both species can be occasionally seen coming from the same hole! Dens of coyotes and foxes are bigger than badger burrows and their entrances are often triangular in shape, with the claw marks running vertically from the peak of the entrance.

Check out the badger burrow ID card for more details!

Some animals that may be mistaken for badgers:

Yellow-bellied marmot

Wolverine

Habitat: Grasslands and open forests

Commonly seen: near rock or slash piles, also seen sunning themselves on concrete roadside barriers

Differences from badgers:

  1. Lacks white stripe down nose
  2. White markings surrounding nose and mouth
  3. Slightly smaller size: ~4 kg [9 lb.] versus 8-12 kg [15-27 lb.] for badgers
  4. Not as "flat" as badgers
  5. "Squeak" when distressed

Similarities with badgers:

  1. Dig and live in burrows in the soil
  2. Yellow-grey colouration
  3. Occur in same grasslands and dry forests of the Thompson and Okanagan regions

Habitat: Mountainous regions and boreal forests

Commonly seen: Not common; occasionally seen in alpine areas or wooded mountain regions

Differences from badgers:

  1. Lacks white stripe down nose
  2. Generally darker colour (chocolate brown)
  3. Light-coloured stripe runs down side of body and over rump
  4. Not as "flat" as badgers
  5. Doesn't commonly burrow into ground
  6. Exceptionally rare in grasslands or dry forests
  7. Most common in central and northern British Columbia

Similarities with badgers:

  1. Very similar body size: 8-14 kg [15-31 lb.]
  2. Not commonly seen
 

For more information on what badgers look like and where they live, please check out the Badger Fact File!  

 

Send mail to webmaster@badgers.bc.ca with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2011 jeffersonii Badger Recovery Team
Last modified: 27/05/11