European Badger

The European badger is a stocky, burrowing mammal found across much of Europe and parts of western Asia, recognized by its distinctive black and white striped face and its powerful, muscular build adapted for digging extensive underground burrow systems called setts, which can be used by generations of badgers over many decades. It is mainly nocturnal and omnivorous, feeding heavily on earthworms where available but also eating insects, small mammals, fruit and roots, and it lives in social groups centered on a shared sett, with a level of group living unusual among members of the weasel family. European badgers remain widespread across their range, and while historically subject to persecution and, in some countries, culling linked to disease concerns in livestock, the species overall is classified as being of least concern.