A Badger Snuffle-hole

Badgers are omnivores - they eat all sorts of plant and animal foods. Some of the things that badgers like to eat live underground. These include the larvae, or grubs, of beetles and other insects. Living underground does not save these creatures from the badger however. Badgers have keen noses and can smell grubs even when they are underground. And of course, badgers have long claws on their front feet, so juicy grubs can soon be dug out!

When a badger digs up a grub or some other item of food, it scratches away with its front feet, and shoves its nose into the ground as it tries to get at its prey. This makes a "snuffle-hole" - a small pit with soil scattered all around it, just like the one in the picture above.

Badgers will also dig up wasp nests and eat the wasp larvae. Occasionally they dig out the nests of mice, rats, voles or rabbits too. Many other foods can be eaten without having to dig though, and few signs are left for us to find.

Of course, once the badger has eaten, it has to go to the toilet. This leaves another sign for us to find as we follow the trail of the badger!