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Animal Weight

How much does a European badger weight?

It is hard to guess what a European badger weights. But we have the answer:

An adult European badger (Meles meles) on average weights 11.89 kg (26.22 lbs).

The European badger is from the family Mustelidae (genus: Meles). It is usually born with about 90 grams (0.2 lbs). They can live for up to 16.17 years. When reaching adult age, they grow up to 70.7 cm (2′ 4″). Usually, European badgers have 3 babies per litter.

As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.

The average adult weight of a European badger is 11.89 kg (26.22 lbs)

The European badger (Meles meles) also known as the Eurasian badger, is a badger species in the family Mustelidae native to almost all of Europe and some parts of Western Asia. It is classified as least concern on the IUCN Red List as it has a wide range and a large stable population size, and is thought to be increasing in some regions. Several subspecies are recognized with the nominate subspecies (M. meles meles) predominating in most of Europe.The European badger is a powerfully built black, white, brown and grey animal with a small head, a stocky body, small black eyes and short tail. Its weight varies, being 7–13 kg (15–29 lb) in spring but building up to 15–17 kg (33–37 lb) in autumn before the winter sleep period. It is nocturnal and is a social, burrowing animal that sleeps during the day in one of several setts in its territorial range. These burrows have multiple chambers and entrances, and are extensive systems of underground passages of 35–81 m (115–266 ft) length. They house several badger families that use these setts for decades. Badgers are very fussy over the cleanliness of their burrow, carrying in fresh bedding and removing soiled material, and they defecate in latrines strategically situated outside their setts.Although classified as a carnivore, the European badger feeds on a wide variety of plant and animal foods, feeding on earthworms, large insects, small mammals, carrion, cereals and tubers. Litters of up to five cubs are produced in spring. The young are weaned a few months later but usually remain within the family group. The European badger has been known to share its burrow with other species such as rabbits, red foxes and raccoon dogs, but it can be ferocious when provoked, a trait which has been exploited in the now illegal blood sport of badger-baiting. Badgers are a reservoir for bovine tuberculosis, which also affects cattle. In England, culling of badger populations is used to reduce the incidence of bovine tuberculosis in cattle.

Animals of the same family as a European badger

We found other animals of the Mustelidae family:

Animals with the same weight as a European badger

As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Meles meles:

Animals with the same size as a European badger

Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as European badger:

Animals with the same litter size as a European badger

Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (3) as a European badger:

Animals with the same life expectancy as a European badger

Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a European badger: