Appearance: Badgers tend to be very big, compared to
otherbeasts, and quite intimidating. They are incredibly strong,
with amazing endurance, especially under the bloodwrath. Both males
and females are very large and burly - never slender, though rarely
fat. Badger weaponry is always huge and impressive- a war spear,
battle-axe, battle-sword, war-mace, etc. Clothing tends to be either a
relatively simple tunic or impressive, often ornate armor.
Life Span: Badgers live for an extremely long
time. Cregga Rose Eyes, for instance, lived for several generations of
Redwallers.
Diet: Badgers eat whatever other goodbeasts eat. They just
eat a bit more of it.
Habitat: Most badgers live either in Salamandastron, as Badger
Lords or Badger Ladies, or as the Badgermum of Redwall.
Typical Personality: Redwall badgers tend to be fierce warriors,
one of the fewbeasts to experience bloodwrath. Many times they are
viewed to be wise; often they have prophetic dreams deep in the caverns of
Salamandastron. But that may just be a property of that chamber.
They have a strong sense of justice and loyalty and are usually quite
sensible unless the bloodwrath comes upon them. They are excellent leaders,
and rarely take orders from otherbeasts. Most badgers seem to be
relatively humble, and always very dedicated to their cause.
Habits: Badgers have no particular way of talking and no
distinguishing habits, unless you count the bloodwrath that nearly every
badger seems to have experienced (except perhaps Russano the Wise).
Outside Redwall
Classification: Mammalia class (mammals); Mustelidae family (mustelids
- includes weasels, stoats, etc); Melinae sub-family (badger family); Meles
meles (genus and species - scientific name - Eurasian badger)
Other Names: European badger; Old World badger. Old English
names are brock, bawson, pate, badget, and grey.
Appearance: See picture (bottom of page). They have a broad,
wedge-shaped head and body; short and stocky legs; grey-cream bback and
flanks; and the characteristic black and white headstripes. Adult
males are around 90 cm in length, with a 15 cm tail (give or take), and
weighing from 9kg to 17kg. Females tend to be a little bit
smaller, from 6.5kg to 14kg.
Life Span: The average life span for badgers is about 3 years,
though wild badgers have lived until 15, and one badger in captivity lived
to be 20.
Diet: Badgers are classified as carnivores, but are really
omnivores. Badgers eat mostly earthworms, but also eat insects and
their larvae, small mammals, carrion, fruits, nuts, cereals, roots, bulbs
and tubers.
Habitat: Badgers live in large groups inside complex underground
tunnels and chambers called setts. Larger setts will have been
excavated by generations of badgers, over a period of decades or even
centuries in some cases. A group of badgers is called a clan, and each
clan shares a "home range" of feeding grounds and one or more
setts. Clans can be as small as a mated pair and their young or can be
made up of many boars and sows and their cubs.
Typical Personality: Badgers are social creatures, as seen by the
clans they live in. They are strong fighters, defending well against
attackers with their strong jaws. Badgers are notably bad-tempered,
but as some people keep them as pets, that belief may not be quite true.
Habits: Autumn is when badgers eat, storing up fat for the
winter. They do not hibernate, but do sleep a lot in the cold
season. They are mostly nocturnal. When in danger, badgers will
usually turn and run to the sett. If cornered, however, badgers are
fierce fighters. Often they will tuck their heads between their
forelegs and rely on their thick fur and tough skin to provide protection
from the bites of their attacker. Most will also raise their heads from time
to time, bringing their teeth into use. Badger jaws are strong and
powerful, and even a wolf or a puma will hesitate to attack a cornered
badger.
Life Cycle: February is the birthing season, when most cubs are
born in litters ranging from 1 - 5 cubs, usually 2 or 3 at a time.
Cubs spend the first eight weeks of life underground, nursing. In late
April or early May, they venture outside and start exploring and playing,
learning important survival skills in the process. Most cubs reach
adulthood [sexual maturity] at 12 - 15 months.
