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Diet

The hog badger is an omnivore. Worms and other invertebrates are taken, along with roots and tubers which are grubbed up with the snout and the long claws of the fore paws. Fruits are also eaten, and it is likely that the hog badger may also take any small mammals which it comes across and which it is able to catch. In Manipur in north-eastern India, local tribes report that the hog badger is fond of crabs, which it finds in rivers and streams.

A hog badger in captivity in Manipur Zoo ate chopped meat, boiled eggs, kheer (a paste made from boiled rice, grams, milk and sugar), sugar cane and sweet potato.

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Feeding behaviour

The hog badger forages for food using its powerful sense of smell, rooting in the ground with its snout rather like a pig. The incisors and canines in the lower jaw all protrude outwards, and are used like a shovel when rooting in the ground. The large canines can be seen quite clearly in the drawing of the skull shown here.

Picture © Steve Jackson.

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References

b001, b004, b007, b034.

Additional picture credits

The hog badger photo used at the head of this page is © Advanced Thailand Geographic Magazine, and used with the kind permission of Thon Thamrongnawasawat, TalayThai.com Manager. Credits for the photos used in the right-hand margin of this page for site navigation can be found on the Credits page.

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