At first glance at this type of animal, you will certainly be surprised to understand what it is. Their hybrid appearance makes them look weird, but also very special.
In the Central Highlands and Southeast regions of Vietnam, the existence of a very special animal species is recorded: the Badger (Arctonyx collaris). It is considered the most bizarre animal in the Weasel family (Mustelidae).
An adult badger has a relatively large head length of about 65 – 104 cm, tail length of 12 – 17 cm, and weight of 7 – 14 kg. As the name suggests, this species looks very chubby and chubby.
Badgers have quite thick fur, colored yellow, gray and black. In particular, this fur can change with the seasons. But that is not the most noticeable feature, it is the long nose they possess. This is also the origin of the name badger pig. Although somewhat strange, the long nose helps badgers to search for food on the ground, and has a very sensitive sense of smell to compensate for their poor eyesight.
In addition, badger pigs also possess longer claws on their front feet than their hind feet. This is the ideal condition for this species to dig burrows or dig on the forest floor to find food.
If you learn more about badgers, surely everyone will be surprised. They are extremely durable, able to adapt to different environments from deep forests to deep forests at an altitude of 3,500 meters above sea level without any problem. Badger pigs can find food anywhere. Their favorite foods are worms, insects, bamboo shoots, millipedes, tubers… During the day, pig badgers will go out to make a living and then at night rest in burrows they dig themselves.
An identifying characteristic of badgers is their very strong body odor. This is a feature that helps badgers find each other when entering the breeding season.
The badger species is currently on the IUCN Red List, on the list of Near Threatened species. The number of badgers in Vietnam in particular and the world in general has seriously declined in recent times because of poaching.
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