Researchers from the University of Utah in the United States have managed to capture stunning footage of an American badger burying the entire carcass of a small cow that weighs at least three times the his.
The video captured by a camera from the University of Utah researchers shows an American badger (Taxidea taxus) burying a cow and it is amazing and impressive. Moreover, this shooting is accidental, the cameras having been installed in this desert around some scattered carcasses to study the scavengers, in particular the vultures.
Known for burying their food supplies, no badger had ever been caught burying something this big before. Here, it is a small cow of 22 kg, that is to say at least three times its weight. It took him five days to achieve his goals.
» We know a lot about badgers both about their morphology and their genetics, but there are many gaps that need to be filled. This is a substantial behavior that was not known at all says Ethan Frehner, first author of the study on badger behavior published in The Western North American Naturalist.
For the researchers who watched this unexpected video, it seems that the badger was able to bury this cow carcass so as not to attract other large predators. » Keeping large predators away is important to many breeders. If the carcasses are buried, they will not attract them… “, explains Tara Christensen, co-author of the study.
The end of the video is funny. It features the badger sitting on top of his work and seemingly staring proudly at the camera following his accomplishment.