Adams County's landscape is littered with badger holes - active and inactive. Badgers live in open habitats in eastern Washington including semi-desert, sagebrush, grassland, meadows and grassy bald spots on high ridge tops – so watch your step! Badgers are carnivorous and eat a variety of small animals including pocket gophers, ground squirrels, moles, marmots, prairie dogs, woodrats, kangaroo rats, deer mice and voles as well as insects and birds.
Badgers are best known for their digging abilities. Their homes include underground burrows for protection and sleeping. A typical den may be nearly 10 feet below the surface and contain about 32 feet of tunnels as well as include an enlarged sleeping chamber. They use multiple burrows within their home range. But watch out, if threatened, badgers attack explosively with hissing, growling and biting.
Although born blind and helpless, badgers have keen vision, scent and hearing. They have lived up to 26 years of age, and while some consider them vicious they do help control the rodent population.