Badgers live underground, so it's hardly a surprise that they are especially good at digging. However, this video footage, captured in 2016, shows a badger digging and burying an entire calf's carcass.
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Badgers had previously been observed burying smaller prey- such as jackrabbits - in this manner. Doing so allows them tostop other scavengers from helping themselves to any of their meal and also keeps the meat fresher for longer - providing the badger with a long-lasting food source.
However, experts were stunned to see this badger burying the dead cow - which was much larger than itself. The calf's carcass had been left in the Utah desert by conservation biologist Evan Buechley, who also set up a video camera nearby to observe scavenger behaviours.
The camera ended up capturing this amazing video which shows the badger burying the calf carcass over a period of five days. The American badger first dug tunnels beneath the calf, then covered it over, digging a burrow beside it.
This ingenious technique allowed the badger to dine on the calf's meat for eleven whole days. Buechley said: 'I was really shocked by the fact that these badgers could completely monopolize and dominate that food source.'
