Wildlifeof Nepal
Hog Badger
Bears, Dogs & Otters
Photo: (c) Ian Dugdale, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Arctonyx collaris
Basic stats
Diet
Fruit, roots and small animals
Range
Lower Himalayan foothills including Nepal, the Terai and Brahmaputra basin, east to Southeast Asia
Size
Head and body 65–104cm; tail 19–29cm
Weight
7–14kg
The greater hog badger is a very large terrestrial mustelid, with a snout-to-rump length of 65 to 104cm and a weight of 7 to 14kg, making it one of the heaviest living land mustelids. It has medium-length brown hair, a stocky body, a white throat, and two black stripes on an elongated white snout ending in a pink, pig-like nose. The front feet have large white claws (Wikipedia, general species account).
It resembles the European badger but has the pig-like snout. It is omnivorous, eating fruit, roots and small animals. Its range includes the Terai of the Indian subcontinent and the lower Himalayan foothills of Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. A study in Laos found that clouded leopards took a large share of hog badgers. Nationally Data Deficient (Nepal National Red List 2011).
Quick answers
- What does the Hog Badger eat?
- Fruit, roots and small animals
- Where is the Hog Badger found?
- Lower Himalayan foothills including Nepal, the Terai and Brahmaputra basin, east to Southeast Asia
- How big is the Hog Badger?
- Head and body 65–104cm; tail 19–29cm
- How much does the Hog Badger weigh?
- 7–14kg