Meles meles; the Badger (the Miniature Bear)
About eighty centimetres long from head to tail, the badger is unmistakeable with its black & white striped mask. It is also quite elusive, remaining underground during the day in 'setts' and only emerging by night (and even then only if it feels safe doing so). There are differences in size, weight and some minor differences in appearance between genders; this variation is known as sexual dimorphism. In the field though, these differences are little help in identifying the gender of badgers as they are vague and their weights and sizes can and do crossover. A badger sett entrance is wider than it is tall and this is a usual indicator of it being a home to a badger clan. Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) often share the sett, however, with many other creatures coming and going i.e. bees, wasps and even wolves (Canis lupis).... but only in Europe where they remain.