Stout, flat-looking body with shaggy, silver-gray fur. Black and white
distinctive markings on the face and head. Long, heavy claws. Total
length about 28 inches. Weighs up to 20 pounds.
This compact, tough little badger, while more common in the plains and
foothills, now digs its solitary burrow in the lower mountain meadows.
As they capture prey by digging them out, they are usually found
wherever there are ground squirrel colonies; but will also feed on
skunks and marmots. They can dig themselves out of sight in the ground
in a few minutes. Like the bears, they fatten up in the fall and go into
a period of semi-hibernation from which they may waken and wander about
during warmer winter days.