One of the 4 badgers on WAnimals
Mammals · Carnivora · Mustelidae
Japanese Badger
Meles anakuma
Least Concern
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
The Japanese badger is a mustelid endemic to the main islands of Japan, smaller than the European badger and with facial bands that are more diffuse and brown rather than black. It is markedly less social: adults usually live alone or in loose pairs, not in clans. It is omnivorous with a liking for earthworms and beetles, and digs setts on wooded slopes. In winter it enters a light torpor. Road deaths and the abandonment of traditional farmland mosaics are affecting it.
Weight
4 kg – 12 kg
Size
50 cm – 80 cm
Life expectancy
13 years
