American Badger (Wild Safari North American Wildlife by Safari Ltd.)

The American badger (Taxidea taxus) is said to be North America’s only species of badger, but the truth is that badgers are a polyphyletic group, united not by a single common ancestor but by appearance. In the case of the American badger, it is the only member of its sub-family, Taxidiinae. According to a 2018 paper, the American badger it the most basal species of Mustelidae, splitting off from the rest of the family about 18 million years ago.

The American badger is a fixture of North American grasslands and other open spaces and can be found in much of the central and western United States, south-central Canada, and most of Mexico. American badgers are proficient burrowers, excavating tunnels and dens with their strong forearms and long claws that can measure up to 1.9” (5 cm). Dens are constructed 4-10’ (1.2-3 meters) deep and 4-6’ (1.2-1.8 meters) wide and to navigate these burrows the badgers can move about as quickly backwards as they can forwards. Abandoned burrows provide homes for countless other wildlife. American badgers are primarily carnivores, consuming various ground-dwelling rodents and small mammals, ground-nesting birds and their eggs, snakes, lizards, amphibians, invertebrates and some plants and fungi.

The American badger is an icon of North America and yet, there are very few figures of it with no decent ones currently in production. Naturally, the only good figure of the species was produced by Safari Ltd. The Safari American badger was sculpted by Doug Watson, released in 2011, and was recently retired. Being somewhat new to this hobby I feared I had missed out on this spectacular figure, and it quickly made my most-wanted list. I have it now and it feels good to have checked it off the list. I’m excited to share it on the blog.

The Safari American badger stands 1.5” (3.81 cm) tall to the top of the head, and measures about 3.5” (8.89 cm) long and 1.5” (3.81 cm) wide. The actual American badger measures 23.5- 29.5” (60-75 cm) long and averages 14-19 lbs. (7.2-8.6 kg) with males being larger than females. Exceptionally large males can weigh over 30 lbs. (13 kg). This puts the figure at about 1/6 in scale.

The Safari figure is posed resting on all fours with the front end lifted by the forelimbs and a snarling grimace on the animal’s face. The hair is flared out along the sides, making the animal look almost as wide as it is long. It nicely captures the American badger’s often fierce demeanor.

It is an anatomically sound figure, with a squat body, pointed head, amply clawed forelimbs, and short tail. Fur is etched into the entirety of the figure and nicely follows the contours of the body. There is even fur along the underside of the figure, as well as sculpted foot pads. Each claw and tooth are individually sculpted and well defined.

The fur along the back is light gray and the fur on the underside is tan. In life the American badger is typically more grizzled in coloration, with a mix of black, white, gray, and brown. Mimicking this coloration on a toy would be difficult and the flat gray that Safari chose is sufficient.

The black and white facial markings are complex but crisp and neatly applied here. The faintest hint of pink can be seen along the exposed gums and the teeth are white. The eyes and nose are shiny black. The paws are black with gray claws. The inside of one ear is tan and the other gray on my copy. While Safari often struggles with paint application that isn’t the case here, even the smallest details are as neatly painted as you could expect them to be, and the execution is very true to life.

The Safari American badger is a beautiful figure and the only decent one available of this species. It’s a shame that it has been retired and if it isn’t already highly sought after, it will be. Although now retired it still shows up on eBay for reasonable prices but don’t drag your feet on acquiring it.