This Video of a Badger Burying an Entire Cow Is Deeply Unsettling
"Here's something you haven't seen before," is usually hyperbole. In this instance, it's almost certainly true since scientists have captured this on film for the first time.
So, here's something you haven't seen before. While studying scavenger behavior, scientists at the University of Utah filmed a badger burying an entire cow carcass. It's a behavior scientists were aware of, but no one had previously seen a badger burying an animal larger than itself. (Be warned: the video is a little graphic.)
Much like when you have a nightcap, order an entire pizza, and squirrel away the leftovers in the fridge, the badger couldn't eat the entire meal. To protect its coveted beef, the badger buries the cow to ensure other scavengers don't think the badger wants to share.
Badger don't want to share.
The badger abhors sharing so much it spent five days burying and preserving the carcass. Burying it both hides it from other scavengers and preserves the meat in the cool ground.
The calf arrived in the desert because researchers placed seven calf carcasses in front of camera traps to observe scavengers. Researchers noticed one was missing when they checked in on their carcasses. After taking a look at the video, they found this entrepreneurial badger who chowed down on veal for over a month.
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