Japanese badger

(top), Asian badger (centre) and Japanese badger (bottom) At an average length of in males and in females, the Japanese badger is generally smaller and less sexually dimorphic (except in the size of the canine teeth) than its European counterparts. Tail length is between . This species is similar or mildly larger than the Asian badger. Adults usually weigh from . The average weight of female Japanese badgers in one study from the Tokyo area was found to be while that of males was . In Yamaguchi Prefecture, the average spring weight of female and male Japanese badgers was and respectively. The torso is blunt and limbs are short. The front feet are equipped with powerful digging claws. The claws on the hind feet are smaller. The outer coat has long gray-brown hair. Ventral hair is short and black. The face has characteristic black-white stripes that are not as distinct as in the European badger. The dark color is concentrated around the eyes. The skull is smaller than the European badger. ==Origin==

The absence of badgers from Hokkaido, and the presence of related M. leucurus in Korea, suggest that the ancestral badgers reached Japan from the southwest via Korea. Genetic studies indicate that there are substantial differences between Japanese and Asian badgers, which were formerly considered conspecific, and that the Japanese badger is genetically more homogenous. ==Habits==

Like other members of Meles, the Japanese badger is nocturnal and hibernates during the coldest months of the year. Beginning at 2 years of age, females mate and give birth to litters of two or three cubs in the spring (March–April). They mate again shortly afterwards, but delay implantation until the following February. The Japanese badger is more solitary than the European badger; it does not aggregate into social clans, and mates do not form pair bonds. During mating season, the range of a male badger overlaps with those of 2 to 3 females. Badgers with overlapping ranges may communicate by scent marking. ==Habitats==

This badger species is found in a variety of woodland and forest habitats. ==Diet==

Similar to other badgers, the Japanese badger's diet is omnivorous; it includes earthworms, beetles, berries and persimmons. ==Threats==

Although it remains common, the range of Meles anakuma has shrunk recently. ==Folklore==

In Japanese mythology, badgers are shapeshifters known as mujina. In the Nihon Shoki, mujina were known to sing and shapeshift into other humans. ==See also==