#0017 · 🦊 mammals
European Badger
🇳🇱 Das ·Meles meles
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © caroline legg · CC BY 4.0
- 2. © Erik Eckstein · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 3. © Paul Bowyer · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 4. © Roberto Ghiglia · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 5. © Roberto Ghiglia · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 6. © Tina Ellegaard Poulsen · CC BY 4.0
- 7. © Valentino Traversa · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 8. © caroline legg · CC BY 4.0
- 9. © janconl · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- 10. © faluke · CC BY-NC 4.0
what is it?
The European badger ( Meles meles ) also known as the Eurasian badger or simply badger , is a species of badger in the family Mustelidae and is native to almost all of Europe and some parts of West Asia. Several subspecies are recognized; the nominate subspecies ( Meles meles meles ) predominates over most of Europe.
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- Spotted 156 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: the #18 most seen of the mammals in NL.
- 25,198 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named in 1758 (268 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- European Badger
- Nederlands
- Das
- scientific name
- Meles meles
- class
- Mammalia
- order
- Carnivora
- family
- Mustelidae
- IUCN Red List
- LC · least concern
- in NL
- native
- sightings in NL
- 156
- sightings in Europe
- 18,116
- sightings worldwide
- 25,198
- GBIF records in NL
- 47,916
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1758
IUCN in Dutch: niet bedreigd. Blank means the sources don't say.
relatives· Mustelidae
#0020 📷 7Stone Marten
🇳🇱 Steenmarter
Martes foina
LC 👀 111 in NL
#0022 📷 8European Polecat
🇳🇱 Bunzing
Mustela putorius
LC 👀 64 in NL
#0027 📷 10Least Weasel
🇳🇱 Wezel
Mustela nivalis
LC 👀 51 in NL
#0029 📷 10Eurasian Pine Marten
🇳🇱 Boommarter
Martes martes
LC 👀 37 in NL
#0032 📷 10Eurasian Otter
🇳🇱 Europese Otter
Lutra lutra
NT 👀 28 in NL
#0034 📷 10Eurasian Stoat
🇳🇱 Hermelijn
Mustela erminea
LC 👀 25 in NL
#0061 📷 8American Mink
🇳🇱 Amerikaanse Nerts
Neogale vison
LC 👀 2 in NL
#0210 📷 9North American River Otter
🇳🇱 Canadese Otter
Lontra canadensis
LC 🌍 39.9k seen
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 855297, Wikidata Q27066, GBIF 2433875, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.