Wisconsin State Animal: American Badger

State Animals 1 Minute

One of the most reclusive animals in the park, the American badger (Taxidea taxus) is a primarily nocturnal, burrowing predator found in grassy regions containing loamy soils that allow them to easily dig for prey and create burrows. The abundance of prairie dog towns and clay soil found in the Badlands provide a perfect environment for this species to thrive.

American badgers are medium-sized mammals with stocky bodies, short legs, and a tapered head. They have a distinctive black-and-white striped face and their torso’s coarse fur is thatched with black, brown, and white hairs, giving their coat a unique blended appearance. They’re equipped with strong, muscular forelimbs, long, sharp claws, and a streamlined body designed for digging.

Badgers are primarily solitary animals adapted to life underground. They build burrows used for shelter, thermal refuge, resting, and breeding. Badgers typically have many burrows in their home range and their structure can vary based on their use. During the summer, they frequently dig new burrows and alternate which one they use daily, but come fall they will begin using burrows for multiple days. During the winter, they typically select a single burrow to shelter from the cold and have been documented partially plugging entrances with loose soil to retain warmth. Similarly, when giving birth and rearing young in the spring, a mother badger will primarily raise her young in one burrow. Natal dens are structurally more complex, containing additional tunnels, chambers, and latrines, reflecting the needs of a family group. Abandoned badger holes are utilized as shelter by many other species, including snakes, rabbits, burrowing owls, insects, and tiger salamanders.

Badgers are physically equipped and specialized to prey on burrowing rodents, such as prairie dogs. They will smell and use other senses to detect recent activity at burrow sites and dig up their prey. They’ve been observed filling holes dug by their prey to block escape routes from burrow networks. While badgers are digging up burrows, coyotes can sometimes be observed waiting nearby to catch rodents fleeing their dens and catching an easy meal. While small rodents comprise most of a badger’s diet, they have also been documented consuming insects, birds, eggs, and various plants.

SOURCE: NPS.GOV

Unknown's avatar

Published by pat frederick

Published

103 thoughts on “Wisconsin State Animal: American Badger”

        1. when we moved here and built our home, we put a small pond in and stocked it with fish–nothing too big but something we could feed and enjoy. Soon after, the pond attracted ducks and frogs and whenever water is scarce (hot dry summers) we’d see mink coming to the pond. we’ve seen deer, bear, coyotes, turkeys, opossums, foxes, porcupines, but relatively few skunks. and of course, the raccoons.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

            1. hubby has seen those, but I haven’t.
              this year when hubby was loading the tractor with firewood, he noticed something small and furry under the mower deck on the ground…a bunny has taken up residence in there for the winter…lol
              and the other week, he remarked he saw a small porcupine in the opposite corner huddling with his back towards hubby. hubby ignored him and said the two seem to be staying in there for the winter. that’s a first in all the years we’ve been here.
              bunnies usually get snapped up by the hawks.
              porkies like soft wood–our first year here we had temporary steps (regular pine not pressure treated). two of them ate a huge crescent shape out of the second step! we replaced all that the following summer and they left them alone since.

              Liked by 1 person

              Reply

              1. Awwwww the bunnies are so cute. We see quite a few of them regularly. So where are you? (I need to go read your profile and look for more info.)I am in central West Virginia US.

                Like

    1. Good morning, Pat! I’m glad you didn’t get more snow or ice! I woke up at 4:45 this morning and just couldn’t get back to sleep. Temp is 39 and the wind has finally died down….so far. Hopefully, it won’t blow up again once the sun comes up! I’m regretting putting up the plastic, TBH. The noise from it blowing in the wind is driving me nuts – I may just take it all down! Sheesh!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Good Morning Filly!

        aww that’s a shame. gosh way back when, when i lived in my boyfriend’s house after he reenlisted in the navy, my dad came over late fall and put plastic on the windows (they were really old). i forget all the steps–it’s been 30-40 years ago lol–but he stapled the plastic to the wood frames and then we used a hair dryer to tighten the plastic somehow.. we removed them in the spring.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. Oh, yeah – I put up that kind of plastic this winter w/the hair dryer on the interior of my patio doors and the window in my interior storm door – makes a big difference! But I need much heavier plastic for my patio – the wind is sooooo strong, it would just shred that stuff!

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

            1. My patio windows are 3′ X 4′ screens. The patio was open when I bought the place, with wrought iron curlique corner posts and an awning – my SIL closed it in for me but the wood panels almost all need to be replaced now. We used pressure-treated wood panels but they weren’t sealed properly so at least half of them are rotting.

              Liked by 1 person

              Reply

  5. Just The News: “The U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security has released an updated report highlighting terrorism threats to Americans.

    It did so after holding a hearing on Tuesday during which Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent testified that the NCTC had identified at least 18,000 known or suspected terrorists who were released into the U.S. during the Biden administration, The Center Square reported. The NCTC has also added roughly 35,000 narco-terrorists to the federal Terrorist Screening Dataset since he’s been in office.

    The unprecedented 18,000 KSTs exclude the 6,525 KSTs the NCTC helped prevent from entering the country as of October, The Center Square reported.

    The committee’s “Terror Threat Snapshot” highlights recent examples of terrorist acts that have occurred in the U.S. over the past six months. It also notes that more than 60 cases were reported between April 2021 and December 2025 related to individuals linked to or inspired by foreign terrorist organizations. This includes those who’ve provided material support to ISIS, Hezbollah and al Queda, who received military level training from Hezbollah and al Queda, and who claimed to commit attacks because they were inspired by foreign terrorist organizations.

    It cites terrorist cases that have been prosecuted in at least 25 states. Examples of recent terrorist attacks include two National Guard soldiers from Iowa and an interpreter killed by an ISIS gunman in Syria and Afghan nationals released into the U.S. through a failed Biden administration parole program.

    Afghans continue to be arrested for committing crimes in the U.S. Recent examples include three Afghan men charged in one week with terrorism-related crimes. One shot two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., killing one; another was apprehended by Texas Department of Public Safety officers in Fort Worth accused of plotting a 9/11 style terrorist attack; another was arrested in Virginia accused of supporting ISIS.

    Last month, three Muslim men were arrested in Dearborn, Michigan, charged with conspiring to provide material support to ISIS and possessing firearms to commit a terrorist act on behalf of ISIS. The FBI also arrested two teenagers in New Jersey last month for their role in the alleged plot, the report notes.

    In October, a Palestinian man was arrested in Lafayette, Louisiana, for his alleged role in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack against Israel. He’s a member of a Palestinian National Resistance Brigade, known as the Martyr Umar al-Qasim Forces, the Department of Justice said. He entered the U.S. on Sept. 12, 2024, providing “false information in his U.S. visa application relating to his involvement with a paramilitary organization, connection to Hamas, participation in a terrorist attack, and military training,” the Department of Homeland Security said. Under the Trump administration, a DOJ Joint Task Force found him and arrested him.

    In September, a Pakistani man was sentenced to nine years in prison for attempting to provide material support to ISIS, including planning to attack New Yorkers on pedestrian bridges in Queens. Also in September, two Muslim men were arrested in Salt Lake City, charged with aggravated arson, threat of terrorism and possessing weapons of mass destruction, in connection to an attempt to blow up a Fox 13 vehicle, which failed.

    In June, an Afghan national living in Oklahoma City pleaded guilty to two terrorism offenses, including providing material support to ISIS and receiving firearms and ammunition to commit an Election Day terrorist attack on behalf of ISIS.

    “Twenty-four years after 9/11, what we heard from Director [of the National Counterterrorism Center Joseph] Kent in our annual Worldwide Threats hearing last week should disturb every American,” Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino, R-New York, said. He pointed to Biden administration vetting failures, open-border policies and the deadly withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, as well as the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks for exacerbating terrorism threats.

    Under the Biden administration, Islamic terrorist incidents increased in the U.S. and worldwide with a majority of Americans polled expressing concerns about terrorism, The Center Square reported.

    The response is a “whole-of-government approach,” including continued congressional oversight and legislative action, Garbarino said. “Congress has an immense responsibility to ensure our local, state, and federal agencies have the resources and tools to succeed in this no-fail mission.”

    The report also includes examples of domestic terrorism, including Americans who attacked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, increasing antisemitic and terrorist attacks worldwide.”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. pre-existing law!

    Mike Netter
    @nettermike
    The Trump administration is making sponsors pay back the money that migrants received through tax-payer funded benefits like welfare and health care. Deputy Secretary of HHS, Jim O’Neill, is sending out demands for repayment from sponsors of migrants who have accessed taxpayer-funded benefits.
    Its actually a pre-existing law that was not enforced during the Biden Administration.
    O’Neill said that sponsors are on the hook for the money when sponsored migrants use public benefits.
    This action lines up with federal immigration law, which has required this type of accountability since the 1996 welfare reform.
    Details:
    Sponsors who sign Form I-864 (Affidavit of Support) enter a legally binding contract to reimburse the government for any benefits received by the sponsored migrant.
    Covered benefits typically include programs like Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, and SSI administered through HHS or related agencies.
    The obligation remains until the migrant becomes a U.S. citizen, accrues 40 quarters of qualifying work, departs the country permanently, or dies.
    Agencies may demand repayment directly from sponsors, with options to pursue legal action for non-compliance, including recovery of costs and fees.
    This move makes sure migrant sponsors, not American taxpayers, should cover support costs, preventing public resources from being used when private commitments exist.

    Like

    Reply

  8. Huh! Fancy that! Out of the blue again, Wheezer showed up! One of these days, I am determined to follow him and find out where he goes! His coat is in good condition, like he’s been inside – somebody MUST be bringing him in! On a good note, his coat is thick and luxurious so at least the wormer clearly worked!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Yes, he is! He stuffed himself with tuna and I also put out some beef cat food – he hasn’t eaten any of that yet. He’s snoozing on the chair!

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

  11. Filly do you know of any other ways to get a picture to post other than IMGUR? The new author of the Saturday week in pictures at the powerline blog posts his cartoons, etc using a a webp extension and imgur does not support that for some reason. he had a lot of good ones today, but i don’t know how to bring them. you always have good ideas….

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. good idea imo

    Bubby

    December 20, 2025 9:49 am

    https://conservativeplaybook.com/the-scale-of-the-diversity-lottery-visa-is-massive/

    FTA “For decades, Americans have been told that the Diversity Visa Lottery is a small, symbolic program designed to promote fairness and opportunity. The reality is far different. The program has quietly become a massive immigration pipeline, importing nearly half a million migrants into the United States every decade with minimal public debate and limited scrutiny.
    That scrutiny ramped up this week after it was revealed Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves Valente — accused of murders at Brown University and MIT — arrived in the U.S. in 2017 after being awarded a diversity visa. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and President Donald Trump have since paused the program.

    According to recent reporting, the Diversity Visa Lottery has brought in close to 500,000 people over the last ten years alone. That number rivals or exceeds many immigration programs that receive far more attention from lawmakers and the media. Unlike employment-based visas tied to specific skills or family-based visas grounded in existing relationships, this program relies primarily on random selection, with eligibility determined largely by country of origin rather than merit, skills, or assimilation potential. President Donald Trump has repeatedly argued for a shift toward merit-based immigration and an end to programs that prioritize chance over contribution. The Diversity Visa Lottery stands as a prime example of the kind of system his supporters believe undermines American workers, weakens border security, and erodes the rule of law. As immigration continues to dominate the national conversation, the Diversity Visa Lottery deserves far more attention than it receives, and not just because of the recent murders. Its scale is not trivial. Its impact is not theoretical. And its future should be decided openly, with honest debate about whether a random lottery aligns with the needs and values of the American people.”

    How about ending the stupid “lottery” immigration program altogether!!!! Immigration is destroying American culture and the Republic as foreign born persons become Judges, Police Chiefs, members of Congress all representing their foreign country!!!! JMO

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

        1. nope…i see nothing. that’s why on Saturdays I always used imgur to get them to post. but this new guy posts most (not all) as webp images and imgur doesn’t support that type of file. the few that he posts as jpegs i can see.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

  18. Just The News: “Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the Trump administration has located more than 129,000 “unaccompanied children” that the Biden Administration had lost track of after they arrived at the border.

    “Under @POTUS  Trump, @DHSgov and @HHSGov have located more than 129,143 unaccompanied children that the Biden Administration lost,” Noem wrote on X.

    “Too many of these children were exploited, trafficked and abused. We will continue to ramp up efforts and will not stop until every last child is found,” she added.”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  19. Just The News: “President Trump on Friday predicted that Democrats would shut down the government over health care in January when current appropriations run out.

    He said the Affordable Health Care (ACA) pandemic tax credits would again become an issue, given that they are set to expire at the end of the year.

    “The problem is that Democrats will shut down the government because they’re beholden; they’re beholden to the insurance companies,” Trump said during a rally in Rocky Mount, N.C. “So I don’t know what they can do about it, but they’ll probably close down the government. It’s so simple.”

    Trump has blamed Obamacare for rising health insurance premiums. He has said that any federal premium assistance should go to individuals and families but not directly to the insurance companies.”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  30. interesting perspective of candidate for governor or FLA

    Border Hawk
    @BorderHawkNews
    Florida Gubernatorial Candidate James Fishback Aims to Overturn SCOTUS Ruling Allowing Children of Illegals to Attend Public Schools

    Globalist politicians in both major U.S. parties are waging “war against regular Americans” via mass migration, according to Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback.

    Fishback, a fourth-generation Floridian who founded Azoria Capital, says his father’s tree-cutting business of 20 years was destroyed when Haitians surged into the Sunshine State and flooded the cheap labor market following the catastrophic 2010 earthquake.

    “Most conservatives would agree that we don’t want a mass influx or invasion of any kind, whether it is illegal or — perhaps even worse — if it’s legal,” Fishback stated.

    “If you drop off 10 million Somalians… in the middle of Georgia and they’re ‘legal,’ does that make it any better? In fact, it might make it worse because those who are legal get instant work authorization and are eligible for federal benefits like SNAP, WIC, and welfare.”

    Fishback believes government “has an obligation to step in” when free market policies are being abused by corporations chasing profits at the expense of American workers.

    “You have an obligation to Americans, and especially an obligation to Americans who are literally being discriminated against, never being offered so much as a job interview, never being offered the opportunity to even prove themselves, but instead replaced with cheap, foreign slave labor,” he said.

    Fishback pointed out that H-1B visa approvals are roughly matching or outpacing the current rate of deportations, which is cause for concern.

    “In net terms, we actually are bringing in more people in any given day than we were the prior,” he asserted.

    Fishback hopes to expand on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ efforts to crack down on illegal immigration in Florida by incentivizing sheriff’s departments with monetary rewards for apprehensions and subsequent deportations.

    He also pointed out that classrooms across the state are packed with students who speak little to no English.

    In 1982, the Supreme Court ruled in Plyler v. Doe that a state cannot prevent children of “undocumented immigrants” from attending public school unless a substantial state interest is involved.

    If elected governor, Fishback hopes to challenge that ruling and “overturn it for the entire country. Florida is a beautiful place to do it.”

    “We’re going to be checking the citizenship of every single student. If you cannot, as a parent, prove that your child is legally supposed to be in this country, they are going to be unenrolled from the school in question,” he said.

    “If you get rid of the free childcare that hundreds of thousands of people are taking advantage of in our state, which is the education system… and begin to pull back those benefits, we’re creating an active disincentive that says, ‘You know what, we’re going to suck you dry.’”

    Fishback believes globalists have unleashed relentless waves of Third World migrants into the U.S. and other Western nations due to a “deep-seated contempt for the heritage of America, for our identity, for our culture.”

    “They would much rather this be an economic zone with a very pliable, malleable group of people, as opposed to people who actually have an identity, have a heritage, and have allegiance to something bigger than another free trade area.”

    Follow: @j_fishback

    DISCLAIMER: Border Hawk News Corp. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and we do not endorse political candidates.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    2. Harrison

      December 20, 2025 1:52 pm

      Reply to  OurLastStand

      No, Vivek. Allegiance matters. Culture matters. Heritage matters. America was never just a borderless “idea”. It was, and still must be, a nation. 

      The Founders knew this, and they warned against reducing American identity to a mere abstraction.

      Alexander Hamilton wrote plainly in 1802:

      “The influx of foreigners must, therefore, tend to change and corrupt the national spirit… In the composition of a government, every man ought to be supposed a knave. The safety of a republic depends essentially on the energy of a common national sentiment… To admit foreigners indiscriminately to the rights of citizens the moment they put foot on our soil, is to invite a Trojan horse into the citadel of our liberty and sovereignty.”

      Hamilton was defending the integrity of a nation. Citizenship was to be earned, not handed out like candy.

      Theodore Roosevelt echoed this over a century later:

      “There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism… A hyphenated American is not an American at all. The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin… would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities… a nation of groups divided by national lines and divided by languages… A nation of such men is not a nation at all, but a conglomerate of warring factions.”

      John Adams put it even more bluntly:

      “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

      No system can rise above the character of the people who uphold it.

      Character is destiny. Culture is the foundation.

      America isn’t a borderless ideology. It’s a constitutional civilization, one that cannot survive mass immigration.

      To reduce it to a feel-good “idea” is not only ahistorical, it’s dangerous, and a betrayal of our sovereignty.

      Like

      Reply

  32. “It’s certainly no surprise that DJT wasn’t a fan of this guy, and maybe he shoulda not come out with the statement he did. That being said, however, this guy mighta made couple good movies, but, online, the guy was a complete scumbag leftie fuckin’ whackjob. 

    He even went so far as to celebrate Rush Limbaughs’s passing when he did. In 2020, shortly after Limbaugh’s advanced lung cancer diagnosis and Medal of Freedom award, Reiner tweeted: “Only one thing to say about Rush Limbaugh getting a Presidential Medal of Freedom at The State of the Union: I loathe this fucking man.”

    He offered no sympathy, focusing instead on his strong dislike for Limbaugh’s influence. The day after Limbaugh’s death in 2021, Reiner posted critically about his legacy, calling him a “liar” and “purveyor of disinformation” while urging vigilance against such figures to protect democracy (e.g., on issues like climate change).

    Many on the right called this heartless and gleeful, especially during illness and right after death; Reiner’s defenders saw it as ‘honest accountability for Limbaugh’s divisive rhetoric’, not celebration of his passing. 

    Well, Mr. Reiner, I guess what was good for the goose is – you know. Gander up, bitch. And – one more thing. I don’t wanna sound like some kinda jerkoff or nothing, but it wasn’t missed on me that his own son killed him. His own son. How discombobulated was that family, huh? Juss’ sayin’…”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  33. Just The News: “U.S. military forces intercepted a second merchant ship in international waters near Venezuela on Saturday, according to two American officials familiar with the operation.

    The action comes just days after President Donald Trump announced what he described as a “blockade” targeting oil tankers linked to sanctions as they enter or leave the South American nation. It also follows the Dec. 10 seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast by U.S. forces.

    Details about the latest interception, including the vessel’s destination and cargo, were not immediately disclosed. The officials said the operation remains ongoing and declined to comment publicly on its scope or objectives.”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  36. this is just GROSS

    nimrodman
    December 20, 2025 3:44 pm

    what ever happened to PresTrump’s initiatives to halt immigration from demonstrable muzzy and batsh1t-crazy 3rd-world nations?

    enough already

    African Traveler Caught With “Primate Meat” at Chicago Airport

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment