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American Badger (Taxidea taxus) Skull Also known as Taxidea taxus, this large mustelid is a powerful predator of ground-dwelling rodents. Watch out mice and moles! This skull was apparently from a badger that had been hit by a car, and it took much painstaking reconstruction to get it looking like a skull again. Of special interest in this skull are the self-sharpening canines and the distinctive hinge that connects the lower and upper jaw. This gives the badger less 'wiggle room' with its jaws than many other mammals have, but it also gives it the ability to clamp on to something and hold fast without danger of dislocating its jaw.
There are reports of coyotes and badgers working together to capture prey, since the badger can dig underground and the coyote can catch anything that dares make a run for it up above.
We feel lucky whenever we see a badger
– they're not the most common animals, and are pretty elusive. Count
yourself blessed if you've seen one before!
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