Badger
European badger
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Caniformia
Superfamily:	Musteloidea
Family:	Mustelidae
Subfamily:	Melinae Mellivorinae Taxidiinae
Genera
Melogale  Meles  Mellivora  Taxidea
Badger ranges Gold = Honey badger (Mellivora capensis) Red = American badger (Taxidea taxus) Teal = European badger (Meles meles) Dark green = Asian badger (Meles leucurus) Lime green = Japanese badger (Meles anakuma) Blue = Chinese ferret-badger (Melogale moschata) Indigo = Burmese ferret-badger (Melogale personata) Azure = Javan ferret-badger (Melogale orientalis) Purple = Bornean ferret-badger (Melogale everetti)

Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. The nine species of badger, in three subfamilies include the Melinae (badgers of Europe and Asia), Mellivorinae (the ratel or honey badger), and Taxideinae (the American badger). The Asiatic stink badgers of the genus Mydaus were formerly included in the Melinae and Mustelidae, but recent genetic evidence^[1] indicates these are actually members of the skunk family, placing them in the taxonomic family Mephitidae.

Badgers include the species in the genera Meles, Arctonyx, Taxidea and Mellivora. Their lower jaws are articulated to the upper by means of transverse condyles firmly locked into long cavities of the cranium, so dislocation of the jaw is all but impossible. This enables the badgers to maintain their hold with the utmost tenacity, but limits jaw movement to hinging open and shut, or sliding from side to side without the twisting movement possible for the jaws of most mammals.

Badgers have rather short, fat bodies, with short legs built for digging. Their ears are small, and they have elongated weasel-like heads, their tails vary in length depending on species, the stink badger has a very short tail, while the ferret badger's tail can be 18 to 20 inches (46 to 51 cm) long, depending on age. They have black faces with distinctive white markings, their bodies are gray with a light-colored stripe from their head to their tail, they have dark legs with light colored stomachs. They grow to around 35 inches (89 cm) in length including tail. The European badger is one of the largest; the American badger, the hog badger and the honey badger are similar in size and weight, though generally a little smaller and lighter. The stink badgers are smaller still, and the ferret badgers are the smallest of all. They weigh around 20–24 pounds (9.1–11 kg) on average, with some Eurasian badgers weighing in at around 40 pounds (18 kg).^[2][3]

Etymology[link]

An American badger adult female, or sow

The word "badger" originally applied to the European badger (Meles meles). Its derivation is uncertain. It possibly comes from the French word bêcheur (digger).^[4] The Oxford English Dictionary states it probably derives from "badge" + -ard, referring to the white mark borne like a badge on its forehead.^[5] It is possibly related to the Romanian viezure ("badger"), a word of uncertain etymology, believed to be inherited from Dacian/Thracian and related to the Albanian vjedhullë ("badger", "thief") and vjeth ("to steal"), and the Slavic jazvrŭ ("hedgehog"; cf. Serbian jazavac "badger").^{[6][7][not in citation given]} The less common name "brock" (Old English: brocc), (Scots: brock) is a Celtic loanword (cf. Gaelic broc and Welsh broch, from Proto-Celtic *brokko) meaning "grey".^[5] The Proto-Germanic term was *þahsu- (cf. German Dachs, Dutch das, Norwegian svin-toks; Early Modern English: dasse), probably from the PIE root *tek'- "to construct," so the badger would have been named after its digging of setts (tunnels); the Germanic term *þahsu- became taxus or taxō, -ōnis in Latin glosses, replacing mēlēs ("marten" or "badger"),^[8] and from these words the common Romance terms for the animal evolved (Italian tasso, French tesson/taisson/tasson – now blaireau is more common –, Catalan toixó, Spanish tejón, Portuguese texugo).^[9]

A male badger is a boar, a female is a sow and a young badger is a cub. A collective name suggested for a group of badgers is a cete,^[10] but badger colonies are more often called clans.^{[citation needed]} Badger dens are called setts.

Classification[link]

The following list shows where the various species with the common name of badger are placed in the Mustelidae classification. The list is polyphyletic and the species commonly called badgers do not, if the stink badgers are included, form a valid clade.

• Family Mustelidae
  • Subfamily Melinae
    • Genus †Enhydritherium
      • Giant Florida sea otter, Enhydritherium terraenovae^[11]
    • Genus †Satherium
      • Satherium piscinarium (Hagerman's otter)
    • Genus Melogale
      • Burmese ferret-badger, Melogale personata
      • Javan ferret-badger, Melogale orientalis
      • Chinese ferret-badger, Melogale moschata
      • Bornean ferret-badger, Melogale everetti
      • Vietnam ferret-badger, Melogale cucphuongensis
    • Genus Meles
      • Japanese badger, Meles anakuma
      • Asian badger, Meles leucurus
      • European badger, Meles meles
  • Subfamily Mellivorinae
    • Honey badger or ratel, Mellivora capensis
  • Subfamily Taxideinae:
    • †Chamitataxus avitus
    • †Pliotaxidea nevadensis
    • †Pliotaxidea garberi
    • American badger, Taxidea taxus
  • Subfamily Mustelinae
• Family Mephitidae
  • Genus Mydaus
    • Indonesian or Sunda stink badger (teledu), Mydaus javanensis
    • Palawan stink badger, Mydaus marchei

Distribution[link]

Badgers are found in much of North America, Ireland, Great Britain^[12] and most of Europe as far as southern Scandinavia.^[13] They live as far east as Japan and China. The Javan ferret-badger lives in Indonesia,^[14] and the Bornean ferret-badger lives in Malaysia.^[14] The honey badger is found in most of sub-Saharan Africa, the Arabian Desert, southern Levant, Turkmenistan, and India.^[14]

Behavior[link]

The behavior of badgers differs by family, but all shelter underground, living in burrows called setts, which may be very extensive. Some are solitary, moving from home to home, while others are known to form clans. Clan size is variable from two to 15. Badgers can be fierce animals and will protect themselves and their young at all costs, and are capable of fighting off much larger animals, such as wolves and bears. Badgers can run or gallop at 25–30 km/h (16–19 mph) for short periods of time. Badgers are nocturnal.^[15]

In North America, coyotes sometimes eat badgers and vice versa, but the majority of their interactions seem to be mutual or neutral.^[16] American badgers and coyotes have been seen hunting together in a cooperative fashion.^[17]

Diet[link]

The diet of the Eurasian badger consists largely of earthworms, insects, and grubs. They also eat small mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds, as well as roots and fruit.^[18][19] Indeed, in southern Spain, badgers mostly feed on rabbits.^[20] The honey badger of Africa consumes honey, porcupines and even venomous snakes (such as the puff adder). They will climb trees to gain access to honey from bees' nests. American badgers are fossorial carnivores. Unlike many carnivores that stalk their prey in open country, badgers catch most of their food by digging. They can tunnel after ground-dwelling rodents with amazing speed.

Badgers have been known to become intoxicated with alcohol after eating rotting fruit.^[21]

Humans[link]

Hunting badgers is common in many countries. Manipulating the badger population is prohibited in many European countries, as badgers are listed in the Berne Convention, but they are not otherwise the subject of any international treaty or legislation.

The blood sport of badger-baiting was outlawed in the United Kingdom by the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835, as well as the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, which makes it a serious offense to kill, injure or take a badger, or to damage or interfere with a sett unless a license is obtained from a statutory authority. An exemption that allowed fox hunters to loosely block setts to prevent chased foxes escaping into them was brought to an end with the passage of the Hunting Act 2004.

Many badgers in Europe were gassed^{[citation needed]} during the 1960s and 1970s to control rabies. Until the 1980s, gassing was also practiced in the UK to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis (BTB). In December 2011, badger culling announced to be to be undertaken once more to prevent the spread of BTB. This was met with distaste by opponents, who suggested a vaccination programme.^[22]

The Dachshund dog breed has a history with badgers; "Dachs" is the German word for badger, and Dachshunds were originally bred to be badger hounds.

Commercial use[link]

Badger pelts

Today, badgers are commercially raised for their hair, which is harvested to make shaving brushes. Virtually all commercial badger hair comes from mainland China,^{[citation needed]} which supplies knots of hair in three grades to brush makers in both China and Europe. In rural Northern China, badgers multiplied to the point of becoming a crop nuisance, and village cooperatives are licensed by the national government to hunt badgers and process their hair. The hair is also used for paint brushes, and was used as a trim on Native American garments.^[23] It has been used in some instances as doll hair.^{[citation needed]}

Food[link]

Although rarely eaten today in the United States or the United Kingdom,^[24] badger was once one of the main meat sources in the diets of Native Americans and white colonists.^{[25][26][27][28][29]} Badgers were also eaten in Britain during World War II and the 1950s.^[26]

In Russia, the consumption of badger meat is still widespread.^[30] Shish kebabs made from badger, along with dog meat and pork, are cited as a major source of trichinosis outbreaks in the Altai region of Russia.^[30] Consumption of badger meat also occurs in other European countries, such as Croatia, where it is used in a variation of the traditional dish of goulash.^[31] In contrast to Russia, no cases of trichinellosis related to the consumption of badger meat have been reported. This is credited to adequate preparation and cooking of it.^[29]

In France, badger meat was used in the preparation of several dishes, such as Blarieur au sang, and it was a relatively common ingredient in countryside cuisine.^[32] Badger meat was eaten in some parts of Spain until recently.^[33] Some Asian countries have traditions of consuming badger meat. In Japan, it is regarded in folktales as a food for the humble.^[34] Also, in northern China, badgers are consumed, but in low numbers.

Popular culture[link]

Badger, Rat, Mole, and Toad from The Wind in the Willows

Badger characters are featured in author Brian Jacques' Redwall series, most often falling under the title of Badger Lord or Badger Mother, and the 19th century poem "The Badger" by John Clare describes a badger hunt and badger-baiting. The character Frances in Russell Hoban's children's books is depicted as a badger. A badger god is featured in The Immortals by Tamora Pierce and "The Badger" is a comic book hero created by Mike Baron. Trufflehunter is a heroic badger in the Chronicles of Narnia book Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis. In Lafcadio Hearn's book Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things there is a short story titled Mujina, which is a shapeshifting badger.

Many other stories featuring badgers as characters include Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Mr. Tod (Tommy Brock), the Rupert Bear adventures by Mary Tourtel, Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, T. H. White's The Once and Future King and The Book of Merlyn, Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl, Colin Dann's The Animals of Farthing Wood, Richard Adams's Watership Down and Erin Hunter's Warriors. In the Harry Potter books, the official mascot of the Hogwarts house of Hufflepuff is the badger, featuring this animal in the house's coat of arms as well as in the entire schools. The Hufflepuff common room has little underground tunnels leading to the dormitories, all of which have perfectly round doors, like barrel tops (much like a badger sett). In The Incident at Hawks Hill by Allan W. Eckert a badger is one of the main characters.

Badgers are also featured in films and animations: a flash video of "The Badger Song" shows a group doing calisthenics; in Pokémon, Typhlosion and Linoone are based on badgers. Walt Disney's 1973 film Robin Hood, depicts the character of Friar Tuck as a badger.

In Japanese folklore, the badger is a wild creature that sometimes appears as a mischievous being.^[35] In Europe, badgers were traditionally used to predict the length of winter.^[36] The badger is both the state animal of the U.S. state of Wisconsin^[37] and the mascot of the University of Wisconsin's athletic teams. The badger is also the official mascot of Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.

In 2007, suggestions that British forces deliberately released man-eating badgers near Basra, Iraq, to intimidate the local population were refuted.^[38][39]

Badgers are found in the game Dwarf Fortress, are found in groups of three to six, are extremely quick, and are prone to rage. Dwarves may like them for their underground communities and their striped faces.^{[citation needed]}

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Wikispecies has information related to: melinae

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Badger.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Badger

• Badgerland – The Definitive On-Line Guide to Badgers in the UK
• WildlifeOnline – Natural History of Badgers
• Badger Facts
• 2001 Badger survey Netherlands
• Local dutch badger group
• Badger-Coyote Associations

Dennis Avner (born in Flint, Michigan August 27, 1958) of Tonopah, Nevada, United States, is widely known as "Cat Man",^[1] though he prefers his Native American name, Stalking Cat. Avner has spent considerable resources to surgically modify his body to resemble that of a tiger. He holds the world record for the most body modifications.^[2][3][4]

Description of modifications[link]

• extensive tattooing, including facial tattooing
• hairline modification
• saline breast implants
• piercing of his upper lip and transdermal implants on his forehead to facilitate the wearing of whiskers
• facial subdermal implants to change the shape of the brow, forehead and the bridge of the nose (a planned future implant on the top of his head for mounting tiger-like ears)
• flattening of his nose via septum relocation
• filing and capping of his teeth to have a more feline appearance
• wearing green contact lenses with slit irides
• having his ears pointed and the earlobes elongated
• silicone injection in his lips, cheeks, chin and other parts of his face
• bifurcated upper lip

Avner himself claims not to keep track of the money he has spent on body modification^{[citation needed]}, although some sources do state a total. Avner, whose parents were of Huron and Lakota heritage, states that altering oneself to resemble one's own totem is an ancient Huron tradition. The former Navy sonar technician who currently works as a computer programmer took on the name Stalking Cat and began his modifications after a discussion with a Native chief who reportedly inspired him to 'follow the ways of the tiger'.

As a result of his unusual appearance, Stalking Cat has attained local celebrity status and frequently travels to attend interviews and photo sessions. He has appeared and been interviewed on such television and radio shows as Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Larry King Live, VH1's Totally Obsessed, Kerrang! Radio's The Night Before, BBC Choice's Anna in Wonderland (Episode 6), and Animal Planet's Weird, True & Freaky (2008 episode "Humanimals").

Many of Stalking Cat's body modifications were performed by Arizona based artist Steve Haworth. The first artist to begin the extensive tattoo work on Dennis's face was Larry Hanks of San Diego in 1985. He also tattooed scales on him and at this time Stalking Cat was referred to as "Cat Fish" although not by choice.

Medical ethics concerns[link]

Glenn McGee, director of the Center for Bioethics at Albany Medical College in New York, says of Avner, "Cosmetic surgery is a practice based on informed consent that needs to balance the risks with the benefits. It is possible to have a coherent view that is nonetheless detrimental to one's well-being. This is a patient who's being harmed by medicine in the interest of his tradition."^[5]

See also[link]

• The Lizardman
• Katzen
• The Enigma
• Lucky Diamond Rich
• Body modification

References[link]

External links[link]

• Dennis Avner's LiveJournal
• Cat Man – the human 'tiger' who enjoys climbing trees and eats raw meat every day – an article dated 2008-09-06 from The Daily Mail, which features a photograph of Stalking Cat

Montee Ball, Jr. (born December 5, 1990)^[2] is an American football running back for the Wisconsin Badgers.

Early years[link]

Ball was born in Wentzville, Missouri. He attended Timberland High School in Wentzville, and played high school football for the Timberland Wolves. He was ranked as the number 33 running back in the nation and fourth-best player in Missouri by Rivals.com. He was named first-team all-state, all-metro, all-district and all-conference as a senior. As a senior, Ball carried the ball 213 times for 2,187 yards and 41 touchdowns. As a junior, Ball was named player of the year (St. Louis American), first-team all-state, all-metro, all-district and all-conference after putting up 358 carries for 3,077 yards and 32 touchdowns. Appeared in the Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd". As a sophomore, Ball was named first-team all-district and all-conference after carrying the ball 297 times for 1,845 yards and 15 touchdowns. As a freshman, Ball had 1,113 yards on 127 carries with 19 touchdowns. Ball was a team captain and team MVP as a sophomore, junior and senior. He holds the Wentzville school district rushing records with career totals of 995 carries, 8,222 yards, 107 touchdowns and an average of 8.26 yards per carry. Ball was also named to the all-academic list three times and was a two-time letterwinner in basketball.

College career[link]

2009[link]

As a freshman, Ball played in 9 of the 13 games and finished second on the team in rushing yards (391), rushing touchdowns (4) and rushing attempts (98).

2010[link]

Ball played in 12 games including starts in the final four games. Ball began the 2010 season as the backup running back to John Clay, the 2009 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. Clay was somewhat limited in 2010 as he nursed offseason ankle surgery and later an MCL injury, so Ball gained a prominent role in the Badgers offense, along with freshman back James White. Ball led the team in rushing touchdowns, ranked second in rushing attempts and scoring, third in rushing yards and all purpouse yards and fourth in total offense. His 18 rushing touchdowns are tied for fourth-most in a single season and his 6.11 yards per carry is sixth-best in one season at UW. Ball also scored 108 points on the season which ties for sixth-most UW annuals. At the end of the season, Ball was named consensus honorable mention All-Big Ten.

2011[link]

Ball played and started in all 14 games. On October 15, 2011, Ball was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after throwing a 25-yard TD pass and scoring three rushing touchdowns with 142 yards rushing, including a career long 54-yard rush, on 14 carries and 46 yards receiving on one catch against Indiana.

On November 5, 2011, Ball was named Big Ten Player of the Week after rushing for a career high 223 yards against the Purdue Boilermakers. During that game, Ball scored four touchdowns (three rushing and one receiving) which gave him 146 total points scored on the season. This broke Brian Calhoun's school record for total points in a single season of 144.

On November 12, 2011, Ball broke the single season Big Ten Conference record for touchdowns by rushing for two and receiving one against the Minnesota. Ball had 27 touchdowns (23 rushing and 4 receiving) at the end of that game. The previous record of 26 was held by Ohio State's Pete Johnson (1975), Indiana's Anthony Thompson (1988) and Penn State's Ki-Jana Carter (1994).

On November 19, 2011, against Illinois, Ball ran for a career high 224 yards and two touchdowns on a career high 38 carries. He also added a receiving TD and became just the fifth player in NCAA Division I FBS history to score 30 touchdowns in a single season.

On November 26, 2011, Ball scored four touchdowns against Penn State, and four more in the Big Ten Championship game one week later giving Ball 38 total touchdowns on the season which is 2nd all-time in FBS. He trails Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders who scored 39 touchdowns in 1988.

Ball was one of three finalists for the 2011 Doak Walker Award joining Oregon's LaMichael James and Alabama's Trent Richardson. The award was given to Alabama's Trent Richardson.

Ball was named First Team All-Big Ten, by both the coaches and media, at the conclusion of the 2011 regular season. Ball was also the winner of two other Big Ten awards. The Graham-George Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year award which was renamed in 2011 after of Northwestern's Otto Graham and Ohio State's Eddie George and the Ameche-Dayne Big Ten Running Back of the Year award which was also renamed in 2011 after Wisconsin's Alan Ameche and Ron Dayne.^[3]

On December 5, 2011, Ball was named one of five finalists for the Heisman Trophy. He is joined by Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu and Alabama running back Trent Richardson.^[4] On the same day, Ball was named All-American by AFCA joining teammates Peter Konz and Kevin Zeitler.^[5] Ball was also named All-American by CBS again joined by teammate Peter Konz.

On December 8, 2011, Ball was named First Team All-American by Yahoo Sports. Ball's teammates Peter Konz and Kevin Zeitler were named to the Second Team and quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Chris Borland was named to the Third Team.^[6]

On December 10, 2011, Ball was one of five finalists invited to New York City for the presentation of the Heisman Trophy. He finished fourth in the voting with 348 points (22-1st place, 83-2nd place and 116-3rd place points). Ball's fourth place finish was the highest in Wisconsin history for a non-winner of the award. Ball was joined by teammate Russell Wilson who also received votes, Wilson finished ninth with 52 points. Baylor's Robert Griffin III won the award.^[7]

On January 2, 2012, Ball scored his 39th touchdown of the season tying him with Barry Sanders for most touchdowns in a single FBS season.

On January 5, 2012, Ball announced he would return for his senior year with the UW Badgers rather than entering the 2012 NFL Draft.

College statistics[link]

Records[link]

NCAA single season records

• Most touchdowns, season: 39 tied (2011)
• Most consecutive games with two or more touchdowns: 13 (2011)
• Most points scored by non-kicker: 236 (2011)

Big Ten single season records

• Most touchdowns: 39 (2011)

Wisconsin single season records

• Most touchdowns: 39 (2011)
• Most rushing touchdowns: 33 (2011)

Wisconsin career records

• Highest average yards per rush: 5.82

Personal[link]

Parents are Montee Sr. and Melissa Ball. Cousin, Darius Hill, played football at Ball State. Montee enjoys basketball, reading and video games.

See also[link]

• List of Division I FBS rushing touchdown leaders

References[link]

External links[link]

• Wisconsin Badgers bio
• Montee Ball Website

Justin Schultz (born July 6, 1990) is a Canadian ice hockey player. Schultz is currently a defenceman for the University of Wisconsin Badgers which competes in the WCHA. He was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Awards and honours[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Justin Schultz's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Justin Schultz's NHL player profile

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