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Endangered Provincially and Nationally

Description

• Short,  sturdy member of the weasel family; grey,  with dark legs; bold black and white stripes on head and face
• Long claws and a streamlined skull make badgers excellent diggers
• Inhabits tallgrass prairie, sand barrens and farmland
• Feeds on groundhogs, rabbits and small rodents
• Nocturnal

Range

• Ranges from California to the Great Lakes
• Fewer than 200 live in Ontario, primarily in the southwest near Lake Erie
• Also found in northwestern Ontario in the Thunder Bay and Rainy River Districts

Threats

• Habitat loss
• Road mortality

Protection

• Provincially protected under the Endangered Species Act, 2007
• Federally protected under the Species at Risk Act, 2002

Fact

Fewer than 200 American badgers live in Ontario.