Young lover of literature, we are firmly convinced that you will enjoy reading the fairy tale “Badgers” by Ivan Sokolov-Mikitov and you will be able to learn a lesson and benefit from it. The inspiration of everyday objects and nature creates colorful and bewitching pictures of the surrounding world, making them mysterious and enigmatic. The plot is simple and as old as the world, but each new generation finds in it something relevant and useful. Here you can feel harmony in everything, even the negative characters seem to be an integral part of existence, although, of course, they go beyond the boundaries of what is acceptable. With the virtuosity of a genius, portraits of the heroes are depicted, their appearance, rich inner world, they “breathe life” into creation and the events taking place in it. The desire to convey a deep moral assessment of the actions of the main character, which encourages one to rethink oneself, was crowned with success. It is sweet and joyful to immerse yourself in a world in which love, nobility, morality and selflessness always prevail, with which the reader is edified. The fairy tale “Badgers” by Ivan Sokolov-Mikitov is certainly necessary to read for free online, not by children alone, but in the presence or under the guidance of their parents.
Once upon a time there were a lot of badgers in our Russian forests. They usually settled in remote places, near swamps, rivers, and streams. For their burrows, badgers chose high, dry, sandy places that were not flooded by spring waters. Badgers dug deep holes. Above their holes grew tall trees. There were several exits and entrances from the holes. Badgers are very neat and smart animals. In winter, they, like hedgehogs and bears, hibernate and emerge from their holes only in the spring.
I remember when I was a child, my father took me to see residential badger holes. In the evening we hid behind tree trunks, and we were able to see how old short-legged badgers went out to hunt, how small badgers played and romped near their holes.
In the forest in the mornings, I had to meet badgers more than once. I watched how a badger carefully made its way near the tree trunks, sniffing the ground, looking for insects, mice, lizards, worms and other meat and plant food. Badgers are not afraid poisonous snakes, catch them and eat them. Badgers do not go far from the hole. They graze and hunt near their underground dwellings, not relying on their short legs. The badger walks quietly on the ground, and it is not always possible to hear his steps.
The badger is a harmless and very useful animal. Unfortunately, there are almost no badgers in our forests now. It is rare that inhabited badger holes remain in the deep forest. The badger is a smart forest animal. He doesn't harm anyone. It is difficult for a badger to get used to captivity, and in zoos during the day badgers usually sleep in their dark kennels.
It is very interesting, having found holes, to follow the life of their inhabitants.
I have never hunted the peace-loving badgers, but sometimes I have found their forest homes. It was rare to see live badgers. You used to go with capercaillie current, the sun rises over the forest. You stop to sit down on a tree stump and listen and look carefully. You will see a badger carefully making its way near the tree trunks and sniffing every inch of the ground. A badger's paws look like small, strong shovels. In case of danger, a badger can quickly bury itself in the ground. When badgers dig their holes, they scoop out the earth with their front legs and push it out with their back legs. They dig holes quickly, like machines.
If you find live badger holes in the forest, do not touch them, do not destroy them, or kill useful and good-natured animals. The badger has become a very rare animal in our forests. It is not difficult to completely destroy this beast.
The badger is a predatory animal of the mustelid family, inhabiting almost the entire territory of Russia and the CIS countries, except northern territories, arid steppes and deserts. Very rarely, a badger is found in swampy areas. He lives in mixed forests, on the edges, he is not embarrassed by the proximity to a person.
It can reach from half a meter to a meter in length, its weight depends on the time of year, in summer it does not exceed 14-15 kg, and by winter it accumulates fat, because, like a bear, it goes into hibernation. IN winter months its weight doubles.
The life of a badger is closely connected with his hole - this is his home, shelter from bad weather and protection from enemies. His strong paws long claws just made for digging! The badger's hole is very huge, with many passages, holes, ventilation holes and ranges from 30 to 80 meters. If several generations of badgers have already lived in a hole, then the den can be several times larger. Depending on the age of the hole, it can have from two to 50 or more emergency exits. If there is a lot of food in the forest, then several families can live on one ravine at once. Badgers often connect their hole with a neighbor's, and then a whole badger settlement results. They “visit” each other, pass through other holes, and the host badgers take this calmly. Sometimes, when favorable conditions, the badger digs several holes for itself and alternately lives in one hole or another! In general, the badger digs holes very quickly. This, one might say, is his main hobby. He constantly digs new holes, studies
repairing old ones, trying to improve his bedroom - nesting chamber. So, during the spring-summer season he makes several tiers-floors. There are known cases that a badger's hole is the most lowest point in which it is located at a depth of more than one and a half meters, consists of four to five floors, and the nesting chamber is located in it at a depth of only about 40 cm. The temperature in the badger’s “bedroom” is always normal, it is not hot in the summer (temperature is about 17 0 C), and in winter it remains approximately at the same level, even a little higher. In the summer there is always a cool draft, and in the winter, before going to bed, he covers all the holes with grass, earth and leaves. Therefore, it is warm in the hole in winter, and it is not disturbed by uninvited guests. Many other forest inhabitants - foxes, raccoon dogs - often settle in the badger's hole or use it for shelter. To escape from predators, a ferret, marten, wild reed cat can hide in a badger hole...
The badger is a clean animal; twice a year, in spring and autumn, before hibernating, it changes the bedding in its nesting chamber. The bedding is a kind of bed for the badger, on which he spends the entire winter. He makes the bedding from grass and moss. He goes to the toilet in the same place - “to the restroom”, located at a distance of 15-20 meters from the hole.
The badger's entire life is spent near the hole. He does not go more than 600 meters away from her. This is a typical nocturnal forest dweller, going out to hunt in the dark. The badger does not like the full moon; complete darkness is his element. But in very remote places, far from settlements, where people rarely appear, can go out during the day! The badger feeds on chafer larvae, dung beetles, earthworms, frogs, and voles. From plant food Its delicacies include nuts, berries, and nutritious thick roots of plants.
In spring and summer, badgers experience the rut. Pairs remain for life unless one of the partners dies. Pregnancy begins with a delay and lasts from 9 months to a year. Badgers are born in winter and early spring, small, blind, deaf and completely helpless. They feed only on mother's milk for up to three months. By autumn, the badger cubs become independent and leave the parental hole and build their own own house. But it almost always happens that some cubs get so used to their mother that they stay with her for another winter.
No matter how much badgers love their “husband,” they always sleep in the same hole, but separately from each other - each in their own nesting chamber.
Life expectancy of a badger in their natural environment lasts approximately 14-16 years. During this time, they destroy a lot of pests of forests and fields, bringing great benefits to humans, and badger fat is known to help against many diseases.
Badger belongs to the group of plantigrade animals. Their footprints are very similar to bear paw prints, but much smaller. It has 5 toes on each of its paws and bare feet. The badger's forelimbs are much more developed; they are equipped with long and slightly blunt claws, and on the hind limbs they are three times shorter.
Clear badger tracks can be seen on summer paths, after rain and on soft soil. He usually walks with small hasty steps. Hunters call these steps of a badger - jogging. When, at the height of summer, the badger begins to get very fat, its hasty steps will be replaced by a waddled step. Walking at a slow pace, imprint hind paw does not always completely cover the mark of the front paw. When a badger trots, it places its hind paw in the footprint of its front paw. It is difficult to force this animal into a gallop or a gallop.
The badger's entire life is spent near the hole. He does not go more than 600 meters away from her. This is a typical nocturnal forest dweller, going out to hunt in the dark. The badger does not like the full moon; complete darkness is his element. But in very remote places, far from populated areas, where people rarely appear, it can even come out during the day! The badger feeds on chafer larvae, dung beetles, earthworms, frogs, and voles. Among plant foods, his delicacies include nuts, berries, and nutritious thick roots of plants.
In spring and summer, badgers experience the rut. Pairs remain for life unless one of the partners dies. Pregnancy begins with a delay and lasts from 9 months to a year. Badgers are born in winter and early spring, small, blind, deaf and completely helpless. They feed only on mother's milk for up to three months. By autumn, badger cubs become independent and leave the parental hole and build their own home. But it almost always happens that some cubs get so used to their mother that they stay with her for another winter.
No matter how much badgers love their “husband,” they always sleep in the same hole, but separately from each other - each in their own nesting chamber.
The lifespan of a badger in their natural environment lasts approximately 14-16 years. During this time, they destroy a lot of pests of forests and fields, bringing great benefits to humans, and badger fat is known to help against many diseases.
The badger is an animal of the mustelidae family. These animals are distinguished interesting character And unusual image life.
Today, their population has been significantly reduced by hunters, since badger fat is a valuable product and is expensive. Badgers are listed in the Red Book.
What does a badger look like?
Compared to other mustelids, the badger is distinguished by its rather large size. Its body is oblong, the animal can reach 90 cm in length. As a rule, females are smaller than males.
Depending on the geography of their habitat, there are large and small (desert) badgers. The weight of an adult animal in summer is 10-20 kg, and by winter it reaches 20-30 kg.
The photo shows a badger in all its glory - the animal has a pointed muzzle, the fur from the nose to the ears is colored with characteristic black stripes.
The ears are small in size, with white tips, a bit like a bear's. The tail is about 20 cm. The paws are short and thick, on them - impressive size claws, they help the animal dig the ground.
The badger's fur is long, thick, usually brown or gray in color, lighter on the sides, and by winter the entire color becomes a little lighter. Under the top layer of fur, a thick, warm undercoat grows, which allows the animal to survive the cold season.
Badgers shed gradually over the course of spring and summer; new fur begins to grow at the very end of the summer period.
Where do badgers live?
The habitat of these cute animals is very wide. They are found almost throughout Europe and are found in Asia; there are several species of these representatives of mustelids - Japanese, Asian badger, American and common badger (European).
The animals are unpretentious and can survive in a wide variety of conditions. climatic conditions. The main condition is the ability to dig a hole.
The most suitable place for a badger to live is a forest. The animals dig their burrows on the edges, in ravines and gullies.
Lifestyle of animals
These animals spend the main part of their lives in burrows; they furnish them thoroughly and comfortably. If the habitat is poor in food, the animals settle one at a time, but there is usually no hostility between them.
If there is enough food, then the animals can form a real settlement. First, they dig holes next to each other, and then connect them with underground passages. Such underground city The family is marked by a special smell; it is individual for each badger family.
Each family of animals limits its grounds with its own excrement - they must indicate to the stranger that the place is occupied by other individuals. As a rule, the oldest male individual is the leader in the badger family.
The peculiarity of the animals is that, having the ability to create colonies, they do not suffer if they have to live alone. the main role in existence is allocated to a well-designed home.
The animal's burrow is a whole network of tunnels with one or more chambers. Badgers carefully monitor the cleanliness of their burrows - the main chamber is littered with dry grass and leaves; the animals change the litter twice a year.
It is on clean, warm, thick bedding that the badger will sleep in winter. The animals make toilets by digging holes not far from their burrows, but in no case at the entrance to the burrow.
In areas where winters are cold, badgers hibernate in order to sleep through the unfavorable season. During hibernation, animals accumulate a significant subcutaneous layer of fat - it prevents the animals from freezing and becoming exhausted from hunger.
Usually hibernation begins in December, but badgers hibernate depending on the climate - the earlier it gets cold, the earlier hibernation begins, it can begin in October-November and will continue until March-April.
If an early thaw sets in, the animal will wake up earlier and may even look out of its burrow.
The badger's lifestyle is mainly nocturnal, so it is quite difficult to meet it in the forest.
What does a badger eat?
The animal is an omnivore; it is capable of feeding itself in almost any conditions. The diet depends on the geography of habitat. Treat for a badger – earthworms, beetles, slugs.
From time to time, an animal can catch and eat a small rodent, frog, or lizard. Sometimes animals destroy bird nests.
A significant part of the diet consists of plants - roots, fruits, berries, grass and foliage. Badgers also eat mushrooms. In walnut groves, the main food is nuts. In total, these animals’ menu includes about fifty species of plants and small animals.
Where there are agricultural lands, this omnivore feasts on the fields - eats cultivated plants, he especially loves beans and corn.
The hearts of farmers are hardened by such raids on the future harvest; they justify the hunt for this beast by sabotage. At the same time, it is forgotten that the animal brings significant benefits by eating field pests - rodents and insects.
Reproduction
Badgers are monogamous, they create pairs for several years, sometimes a badger pair exists until the end of the life of one of the animals.
Puberty in females occurs at the age of two years, in males - at three years. The breeding season lasts from February to October and peaks in September.
Pregnancy lasts 270-450 days, the female brings from 2 to 6 cubs. After a month they develop hearing, and after 1.5 months their eyes open.
At three months, the babies independently get out of the hole. They will grow for almost six months before they reach size adult. And in the fall, immediately before the hibernation period, the brood breaks up, and the badgers begin adult life.
A quarter of newborn badger cubs die before they leave the hole for the first time, a third of the animals survive natural conditions in the first 3 years – the cause of death can be predators, badgers – the subject of hunting by lynxes and wolves, as well as hunters. Badgers live on average 5-12 years.
In captivity, this animal can reach 16 years of age. These animals are not afraid of humans and are easily tamed.
To keep one like this pet, a spacious enclosure should be built for it - strong, with a reinforced mesh and concrete floor so that the animal does not dig an underground passage.
Today, this animal is not in danger of becoming completely extinct. But its population is declining both due to hunting and because humans occupy everything more territory natural habitat of the badger, and the proximity of civilization - highways - leads to the fact that the animals often die under the wheels of cars, running out of the forest. In order to preserve the species, badgers are listed in the Red Book.
Badger photo
Why does a badger dig holes?
It’s as if nature took special care to badger it was convenient to dig holes underground with long tunnels, giving it a squat body, a narrow head on a short thick neck and wide, muscular paws with long, blunt claws.
The badger belongs to the mustelidae family, although in appearance it does not look like its agile, agile relatives. This is a medium-sized animal: body length 60–80 cm, tail 15–20 cm. An adult badger weighs from 10 to 34 kg, but its weight varies greatly depending on the time of year.
The badger is a typical burrower, well adapted to digging: thanks to its massive, squat body, narrow cone-shaped head on a short thick neck, short tail it moves easily in earthen tunnels. And the wide, muscular paws with long, blunt claws are an excellent tool for earthworks.
Digging holes is a badger's calling. That’s why it settles in places that are ideally suited for this: on the slopes of ravines and river terraces, on the shores of lakes and other uneven terrain. Often he makes his home in artificial embankments.
You cannot call a badger selfish: many animals find shelter in its burrows, primarily foxes and raccoon dogs. Sometimes even wolves settle in old branched badger holes.
A badger hole rarely has only 1-2 exits; only young animals dig such simple dwellings. Usually this excellent digger lays out a whole system of underground labyrinths with numerous passages and exits. Such a hole has existed for decades, and many generations of animals diligently renovate it, clear it, add new exits, chambers and holes.
A lived-in badger's home can not be compared with a separate standing house, and with the whole city - it’s not for nothing that people call it a settlement.
Badger paw prints. At slow speeds, the footprint of the hind foot does not completely cover the print of the front foot.
Where badgers are not disturbed, the settlement grows widely - up to 1 hectare. The badger is a cautious animal: on hunting area he has several holes, and he does not always return for the day to the one he left in the evening.
In summer, it does not stay in the same burrow for more than 2–3 days. However, the badger feels completely safe underground and does not camouflage the hole from the outside.
He spends almost all his daylight hours in the darkness of the dungeon, which, of course, does not improve his health. That is why, interrupting daytime sleep, the animal often goes out into the sun to sit or lie down near the hole.
Badger usually walks slowly, waddles. And when he hunts, he switches to small hasty steps - he jogs. Nothing will force this beast into a gallop, not even the dogs chasing it.
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