Hog Badger                                                                            

(Arctonyx collaris)

Classification
General Info
Distribution
Prey and Predators
Behavior
Reproduction
Protection
other pictures
Links

Classification
    Class: Mammalia
    Family: Mustelidea
    Subfamily: Melinae
    Species: Arctonyx collaris

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General Information
    The Hog badger is stocky with short powerful legs. It has a pig like nose that is bare of fur. The head and body length is from 22 to 28 inches long and the tail is from 5 to 7 inches. They usually weight from 15 to 30 pounds. The hog badger is dark in color, brown, black or gray. There is white on the head, ears, throat, and tail.                  

Distribution-Range

They are found in the areas of Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Sumatra. They live in forest or lowland jungles and wooded highlands up to 3000 meters. They are rarely seen in open lands.

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Prey
    The Hog Badger is an omnivore. They forage on the ground with their pig like noses using their keen sense of smell. They use their large canines and incisors to shovel object on the ground while foraging. They are known to eat worms, invertebrates, some fruit, roots and tubers, and any small mammals that they can catch.

Predators
    Tigers and leopards are known to eat the Hog Badger. However they have a good defense system. They have very strong claws and jaws. They also have thick loose skin. They have been known to growl and puff op their fur, and occasionally to dig under the ground. The Hog Badger also excretes a fowl smell from the anal glad when they get frightened.

    Humans hunt the Hog Badger for their fat in India and Vietnam. Habitat loss may also be a factor in the reasons why they are endangered. Their numbers are unknown and the true impact of humans on this species has not been studied.

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Behavior
    There is no information that states whether the Hog Badger is solitary or found in groups. There has been one suggestion that they are solitary. However, they are nocturnal and during the day they sleep in dens which are dug by themselves or naturally occurring in rock crevices.

Reproduction
    The only information known was collected from a pair of Hog Badgers from the Toronto Zoo in 1977. The pair had two cubs in February and had been seen mating in April-September. They can have 2-4 cubs and  they believe they have delayed implantation and that the gestation is six weeks. They were also seen being very playful as cubs and reaching full size in 7-8 months. One of the Hog Badgers reached the age of 13 years and 11 months. The life expectancy in the wild is unknown.

Protection
    The Hog Badger is protected by :
        India, Wildlife Protection Act of 1972
        Indonesia
        Thailand, Animal Protection Act

Their habitat is protected by:
        China, The Wolong Reserve
        India, Vangai Reserved Forest
        Indonesia, Kerinci Seblat National Park & Gunung Leuser National Park 
        Thailand, Kaengkrachan National Park & Khao Yai National Park
        Vietnam, Cat Tien National Park                                                        Back to top 

      
    Animal Diversity-Hog Badger
Picture-Hog Badger in the Wild
Info on other Badgers

For more information contact the Small Carnivore TAG liaison

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Created by Nicole Wheeler, PJC Zoo Tech Student, Fall 2005