Badgers are one of Europe's most popular animals. They are a common sight in the countryside and in backyards. 

They are social animals and live in groups of 4-5 called a clan. They do not look for food together but females will help to look after others' babies. They are aggressive animals, but they are not dangerous to people and attacks are rare.

The badger population is not known, but the number of them is not concerning. Dangers to badgers include disease, car accident and hunting. 

common sight - something you see a lot

aggressive - ready or likley to attack/fight

population - the number of

concerning - worrying

Badgers grow to be up to12 inches (30cm) tall and 22 - 32 inches (56-81cm) long, not including the tail. They may weigh 17-22 lbs (8-10kg). That's a bit bigger than the size of a very large housecat.

Badgers have long bodies, small heads and short tails. They legs are short and thick. They have long, strong claws which they use for digging their burrows and for digging up food. They also have long snouts, large noses and a good sense of smell, also important for finding food.

They are easily recognized by their black and white fur with two bands of black running over their eyes and ears.

Badgers use their teeth and long claws to groom each other. They also rub against each other  using special scent glands under their tails. This is so their group shares the same smell.

Badgers do not hibernate but they do sleep for days or weeks at a time in the winter.

Interestingly, badgers dig their own toilets. They dig a hole in the ground where badgers from the same group will go to use the toilet. In the winter, they will use a special area of their sett so they can stay warm inside!

Badgers live to be about 15 years of age.

burrow - an animal home in the ground

snout - the mouth and nose area 

to groom - to brush and clean the fur

hibernate - sleep through the winter, like bears

sett - a badger home

Badgers are omnivores. They eat worms, insects, snails and small animals such as mice, rats, frogs or squirrels. However, they may also eat nuts, fruits and seeds.

omnivores - animal that eats meat and plants

Badgers have babies in the winter, usually in January or February when it is still very cold. The babies, called cubs, are blind and only about 4.7-6.3 inches (12-16 cm) long. That's about the length of a pen. Mothers will have only one litter of 1-5 cubs each year.

In the first few weeks, many cubs die; most are killed by other female badgers that live in the sett. Those that live, will leave the sett when they are 8-10 weeks old. They will stop drinking their mother's milk at around 4-5 months old.

litter - a group of animal babies

sett - a badger home made by digging tunnels underground