Badger Cranium

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This fossilized skull is from the European badger Meles meles. Badgers are part of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, ferrets, stoats, otters, and other carnivorous mammals. Fossil records show that mustelids emerged after the Eocene-Oligocene transition approximately 33.9-27.8 million years ago, making them one of the oldest groups within Carnivora. Badgers have a versatile diet consisting mainly of worms, large insects, grains, carrion, and small mammals. They are also known to consume wasp nests, including the comb and envelope; their tough skin and fur provide protection against most stings. According to A.E. Pease's 1898 monograph on badgers, in times of food scarcity they will hunt baby rabbits and even take a rabbit from a trap, turn it inside out, and devour all the meat, leaving the skin behind with the fur still intact. This model was developed by Lee Manders using Agisoft Metashape.