MAMMALS OF UTAH 135 



Family MUSTELIDAE, Badgers, Weasels, Otters, etc. 

 Subfamily MELINAE 



BADGER 



TAXIDEA TAXUS (Schreber) 



Ursus taxus Schreb., Saugth., Ill, 1778, p. 520. 



Meles taxus var B. americanus Bodd., Eleilch., Anlm., 1, 1785, 



p. 136. 

 Ursus labradoria Geml., Syst. Nat. 1, 1788, p. 102. 

 Meles jeffersoni Harl., Faun. Am., 1825, p. 309. 

 Taxidea americana Elliot, Syn. N. Am. Mamm., F. C. M. 



Pub. II, 1901, p. 320. 



Description — The genus Taxidea comprises large ani- 

 mals of the weasel family (Mustelidae) . They have thick, 

 heavy bodies, very short tails, short legs, front feet im- 

 mensely powerful, with long claws and developed for dig- 

 ging; ears, very short. Length, about 28 inches; tail, 5 

 inches. Weight 10 to 23 pounds. General color above, silver 

 gray, each hair being yellowish white at base, then blackish 

 with a white tip; neck, crown and muzzle above, brown; 

 cheeks, chin and stripe from nose over head to shoulders, 

 white; under parts generally yellowish-white; bar on each 

 cheek, back part of ear, and the feet, dull black ; tail, tinged 

 yellowish brown. When seen alive it looks like a small 

 bear that has been flattened somehow, colored silvery gray, 

 and adorned with black and white marks on the head. 

 (Seton.) 



Distribution — The badger is found throughout the 

 State of Utah. A few are seen in the St. George district 

 but they are there decreasing. They are quite common 

 on the Manti forest, very common in the Cache forest, fairly 

 numerous in the Panguitch region and not very common in 

 the Ashley forest. They are quite numerous about Salina 

 and on the mountain ranges up to 8,000 feet. They are 

 found throughout the Escalante forest, the Uintah forest, 

 and are seen so often in Tooele county that efforts are being 

 made by those ignorant of their worth, to exterminate them 

 on account of their undermining telephone poles. They are 

 quite common within the city limits of Salt Lake City, their 

 burrows appearing in the adjacent canyons and on the 

 flats west of the city. 



Habits — No animal better deserves the protection of 

 the farmer than does the badger. It lives principally on 

 prairie dogs,- ground squirrels and other harmful rodents. 

 How any one acquainted with this animal's habits should 



