The Other Badgers - How Long Do They Live?

In the wild, the American badger may live for as long as the European species. Several badgers have been known to reach ages of between eight and ten. The oldest wild badger lived to be 14 years old. The record though goes to a captive badger, who lived for 26 years. Of course, few wild badgers survive into old age. In some parts of America, many badgers are killed by traffic on the roads. Badgers are also trapped for their fur - about 50,000 each year. A couger or mountain lion. Image from the Kita Labs Icon Archive. Many badgers die during their first two years of life. Starvation is a major cause of death for young badgers. Youngsters may also be eaten by bears, coyotes, cougers and golden eagles. Adult badgers are better able to look after themselves. If an American badger is attacked, it will hiss at its enemy and produce a nasty smelling substance from special glands. If this does not frighten off the attacker, the badger has a powerful bite. The American badger also has another trick to escape predators. It can dig very fast - so fast that it can disappear underground in about a minute! The hog badger can also dig itself underground very quickly if it needs to. If it is not able to dig its way to safety, the hog badger will try to frighten off its attacker. A leopard. Image from the Kita Labs Icon Archive. It does this by fluffing up its fur to make itself look bigger, and by making grunting and growling noises. If this doesn't work, the hog badger will defend itself with its teeth and claws. However, these weapons are not always enough. It is known that leopards and tigers both eat hog badgers from time to time. Nobody knows how long hog badgers live for in the wild. However, a hog badger kept in a zoo lived for 13 years and 11 months. The ferret badger's lifespan is also unknown. We do know that if it is attacked, a ferret badger will defend itself fiercely. It also produces a nasty-smelling substance from special glands. The stink badgers are so-called because of what they do when they are attacked! Both species can squirt a jet of strong-smelling liquid at their enemies. This liquid is squirted from glands beneath the tail. The Indonesian stink badger makes the worst smell. In fact, the liquid squirted by this badger is really quite nasty! It is said that dogs have been knocked out by the stench - and even blinded when hit in the eyes! There is at least one predator which eats the Indonesian stink badger. The Javan hawk-eagle lives in the rainforests on the island of Java. It hunts by swooping down on its prey from above. By doing this, it must take the stink badgers by surprise, and avoid being squirted at! As with the hog badgers and the ferret badgers, no-one knows how long stink badgers live for in the wild. The natural life-span of the honey badger is also a mystery. However, several honey badgers in zoos have lived for up to 24 years, and one was 26 years and 5 months old when it died. A lion. Image from the Kita Labs Icon Archive. Honey badgers have very few natural enemies. In fact, many predators have reason to fear the honey badger! Just like the true badgers, the honey badger has a very powerful bite. Honey badgers have been known to attack animals many times larger than they are, including horses, buffaloes and wildebeest. Once, three honey badgers were seen to approach seven lions who were eating a wildebeest. The lions backed off and allowed the honey badgers to eat their fill! It is possible however, that from time to time honey badgers may actually be killed by lions. Although honey badgers can be quite fierce, they do not always attack. Sometimes, if a honey badger comes face to face with a leopard or a lion, it will back off, growling and releasing a nasty scent from glands beneath its tail. Then, when it has reached a safe distance, it will turn and trot away. Go back to: the top of this page © Steve Jackson 1999-2001, unless otherwise stated. Material on these pages may be copied for personal, educational or other non-commercial use, as long as the source is acknowledged.