Badger (Taxidea taxus)

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Flat bodied and bow-legged with grizzled brown/gray coat and a white stripe running from nose to shoulder. Up to 35 inches long and weighing 25-pounds. Holes are characterized by their oval shape, to facilitate the flat, wide body. Also, look for bones, snake rattles and scat around the burrow entrance. Mates late in summer and has 2-5 young in March or April. Active in day and night, practically immune to rattlesnake venom (rattlesnake is one of its preferred foods), backs into hole and covers the entrance to protect itself, does not hibernate, but may be torpid during extreme cold. Very tough if cornered, approach with extreme caution.