Latin Stuff about Badgers

Eurasian Badger

The British Badger is one of the better known badgers across the world. More correctly, the British Badger should be known as the European or Eurasian badger - because it lives in Europe and Asia (including in some parts of China and even Japan).

Meles meles

The Latin name for a "British" badger is Meles meles (in the Melinae Sub-Family, part of the Mustelidae family - all members of a group of animals called the Carnivora). Although this would suggest that the badger is a carnivore, it is actually an omnivore (meaning that it eats both meat and plants).

Species are given Latin names so that experts can put different animal species into related groups.

• Animals are classed as Mammals (part of the Mammalia class).

• Within this, animals are divided into Carnivores (part of the Carnivora order of animals).

• Within the Carnivores, animals are sub-divided again, into Mustelids (part of the Mustelidae Sub-family).

• Once again the Mustelids are divided into the main Badgers Sub-family of Melinae.

• The different species of true badger are then included within this Melinae Sub-family. One such species is the "British" (or Eurasian) badger, called Meles meles according to its latin Genus.

Weasel Family

Other animals in the Mustelids, include weasels, stoats, otters, polecats, martens, pine martens and skunks. This may seem a bit surprising at first, because most weasel-like animals have long, thin bodies and long tails. Badgers, of course, look very different, with their short stocky bodies, short tails and short powerful legs (they look more like small bears). However, in common with other weasel-like animals, badgers have long strong claws on their front feet - though these are designed for digging, and not scampering through the tree-tops.

Origin of Meles meles

The origin of Meles meles is not entirely certain. Even the most useful reference work on the subject is the Badgers (written by Ernest Neal and Chris Cheeseman) is a little sketchy.

This book suggests that primitive badger-forms existed as long ago as 4 million years - possibly coming from the Pliocene genus Melodon in China. The original Meles line then evolved from the temporate forests of Asia, spreading West into Europe.

The earliest fossil of the genus Meles is Thoral's badger (Meles Thorali) and was in France at Saint-Villier, near Lyons, and is perhaps 2 million years old. Other similar fossils were found in China, so this species was probably very widespread. By the early to middle Pleistocene, Europe was inhabited by badgers similar to the modern species. These are now referred to as the sub-species Meles meles atavus (Kormos).

The Tree

ClassOrderFamilySub-familyGenus						a.k.a:
Class: Mammalia						Mammals
	Order: Carnivora					Carnivores
		Family: Mustelidae				Mustelids
			Sub-family: Melinae			Badgers
				Genus: Meles
					Meles meles	Eurasian badger
				Genus: Taxidea
					Taxidea taxus	American badger
				Genus: Arctonyx
					Arctonyx collaris	Hog Badger
				Genus: Mydaus
					Mydaus javanensis	Indonesian stink badger
					Mydaus marchei	Palawan stink badger
				Genus: Melogale
					Melogale moschata	Chinese ferret badger
					Melogale personata	Burmese ferret badger
					Melogale everetti	Everett's ferret badger
			Sub-family: Mellivorinae			Honey Badgers
				Genus: Mellivora
					Mellivora capensis	The Honey Badger

NOTE: It should be seen from the above diagram, that Honey Badgers are not really badgers; as they are not part of the same sub-family as the "true badgers".

However, Honey Badgers are so similar in form and habits and share the same common name, so they are included here. It seems a shame to exclude them, as they are very nearly as cute as "our" British badger; and are persecuted in Africa.