The Collecting Bug

[Janne]

Janne, you are a professional not an academic; professionals have to take themselves seriously at all times.

Aha, good to know!
In Swedish people like me are called ‘akademiker’.

I own a human skull. Brass hinge. Dad had a full skeleton, since his academic days, but he only kept the skull which he gave me.

Humans have weak crests ( for muscle atrachment) but, for example, the M. Masseter ( main chewing muscle) is strong enough to crush your own, perfect teeth.
This if you take a piece if wood, long enough to cover the tree molars and two premolars, on one side, and shaped so you exert the same pressure on all 10 ( 5 upper, 5 lower) teeth.
Do the same on both sides and the muscles are not enough.

This was debated and discussed a lot when I did my post grad. The thinking then was that our teeth have become weaker over time, selective breeding and so on.
To much to tell here.

You see, people sometimes break intact perfect teeth when they sleep and clench or grind.
A dog can not break own teeth only with the muscle power.

It was a part of research into a revolutionary, local antibiotic, treatment for gum disease at my faculty, and research into strength of osseointegration for a couple of Titanium alloys used development of various Brånemark implants.

( I did not participate in this research, but used to feed and take the dogs for walks)

 

[santaman2000]

I wonder why ... not that there should be a reason I suppose, but I mean they only eat worms and slugs and such like

Maybe biting through stumps, dead trees and such to get to the food? Just a guess.

 

[Janne]

There is an Old Mans Tale in Sweden that you always should stuff some thick twigs in your boots when hunting Badgers.
If he is not dead when you go and collect him, he will grab your leg and bite and only release pressure when he feel the crunch of the bones ( but twigs).

 

[Robson Valley]

What they eat depends upon which species and where they live.
Very interesting Wikipedia entry.

Here on the prairies, badgers eat whatever they can kill,
particularly gophers (Richardson's Ground Squirrels.)
They dig a new nest burrow, 16" x 48" in a matter of minutes, every evening.
Pasture-wrecking, leg-breaking damage. Blat!

 

[Broch]

I wonder why ... not that there should be a reason I suppose, but I mean they only eat worms and slugs and such like

Here, the European Badger (Meles meles) will eat anything it can get hold of - eggs. birds, rabbit, hedgehog, and fresh carrion. Their jaws are capable of crunching straight through large bones to get to marrow. They also eat berries and nuts - true opportunist omnivors.

 

[Toddy]

They really are. They're supposedly taking out a lot of hedgehogs now too.
I've seen fallen trees shredded by the badgers getting to the beetles inside.

I know the ones that visit my garden happily upturn huge (three feet high!) planters to get to the worms underneath....built like brick-built...well you get my meaning
They clamber over our front gate, and their claws have carved up the top of the slats. Neighbour said to me, "What happened to the gate?", "Badgers", I replied. Cue the kind of look that questions your sanity

 

[Toddy]

I wonder why ... not that there should be a reason I suppose, but I mean they only eat worms and slugs and such like

They eat an awful lot of worms, kind of basic food, but they'll eat anything they can get hold of. From carion to compost heaps, they're there. They'll take ground nesting birds and eggs quite happily too. The kestrel takes down the pigeons, plucks and eats some of the back and breast, and the badger finishes everything else, bones and all feathers apart. Garden looks like a feather pillow burst.

 

[Billy-o]

I remember the first time I saw a badger up close. I was about 14 or 15 and one summer's evening I bumped into a school-friend coming down off the hill carrying one. It was hugely massive ... way bigger than I expected it to be. I think before that point I must have thought they'd have to be small enough to go inside the TV.

I also remember a weird thing happening ... I'd found a dead bat in the garden. This in itself wasn't odd as there were lots round us. But, I thought what I'do is try and collect the skeleton. So, I found a spot of bare earth out of the way between a wall and some hydrangeas. I surrounded the little corpse with stones and placed a large flat rock over the top. Came back two weeks later to inspect it. Gone!!! Not a trace, no disturbance, no collusion.

Haven't been able to think about bats straightforwardly ever since. I am abit the same with crows. Can't really figure them just as animals.

 

[santaman2000]

Over here in the Midwest badgers sometimes team with coyotes to hunt. Although not here in Florida (we don’t have badgers)
https://images.app.goo.gl/HW9kxnnBC5LoXKPJA

https://www.fws.gov/news/blog/images/open-spaces-blog/1-coyote-and-badger.jpg

 

[Toddy]

That doesn't look anything like our badgers....ours are pretty much nocturnal or at least evening-ish onwards, and they're striped black and grey/white.

You don't want to get into a rammy with a badger. They're strong, low built and heavy and they have claws and strong jaws too.
Stubborn beasts as well.

Historic Scotland had to close one of the local castles not so long ago...an 'angry' badger got into one of the tunnels and refused to come out. I think they eventually got it out by tempting it with cat food

 

[Robson Valley]

There are 11 different species of Mustelid badgers. I wouldn't expect them to look alike.
What I did see in the skulls are carnassial teeth for cutting meat, not molars for grinding/chewing.
Means millions and millions of years as carnivores.

Enjoyed the entire Wikipedia entry for 'Badger.'

 

[Tengu]

Badgers are as hard as nails.

A girl in our street met one on the path.

Guess who got knocked down?

Janne, that story is most credible, they can bite their way through the sole of hobnailed boots. (An old book I have `A Forest by Night` Cant recall author, Guy spends the nights out over a year with the Badgers in Epping forest. He visits Sweden too.)

 

[Janne]

There is usually some ( a lot?) of truth in these old 'tales'.

I have never encountered a live one up close, only hit one with a car ( damaged oil pan) and taken hair from somebody elses road killed ones.
The hairs are useful when you make (fishing) flies.


Do they still cull them in UK?
Tuberculosis in bovines prevention?

 

[Broch]

Do they still cull them in UK?
Tuberculosis in bovines prevention?

They are still a protected species in the UK and it is illegal to bait them with dogs, gas them or kill them in any way; culling is only in specific areas under licence.

 

[Janne]

I know nothing about bovine TB and causes, but I like badgers.
I used to observe them. Snuffing around, walking with that 'sailors gait'.

I always thought of them as XXL sized hedgehogs.
Spelling edited

 

[santaman2000]

Here’s a better picture face on of a coyote and badger hunting together in Colorado.
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/201...gether_in_Colorado_ea-a-153_1480267700133.jpg

 

[Janne]

Weird. Is the badger, bring slower, just a ‘hanger on’?

Coyote chases down and kills, badger intimidates and takes over the food.

The Euro badger is mainly nocturnal.

 

[santaman2000]

Weird. Is the badger, bring slower, just a ‘hanger on’?

Coyote chases down and kills, badger intimidates and takes over the food.

The Euro badger is mainly nocturnal.

Coyotes are mainly nocturnal also. But they’re adaptable. I’d have to reread the articles to see how each benefits from the partnership but I’m sure they wouldn’t be cooperating unless it did indeed benefit both.

 

[Robson Valley]

Maybe the badger is the digger and the coyote is the chaser.
I cannot imagine either one of them giving up prey.

 

[daveO]

Ask Terry Nutkins how strong an otter bite is