Last shot (for now) of this badger. After it finished performing for me, it went back to its rounds and eventually retired underground. I don't know whether it was sleeping or making home improvements.
Its visit to the prairie dog town was not a social call. The prairie dogs were all on high alert, and with good reason: the badger is the only species here that can dig them out of their burrows. (Long-tailed weasels are able to navigate the underground tunnels at night and kill them while they sleep; when awake, prairie dogs are capable of fighting off a weasel. But there is no defence against the formidable badger.)
It's a jungle out there. Even in a place without trees!
Lots of badger shots still to come - from this encounter and others - but I want to move on to some different subject matter for the next few weeks.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
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