Have you ever heard about the relationship between coyotes and badgers? Apparently, they sometimes help each other out by hunting together. A study from 1992 observed that while hunting with a badger, a coyote was more effective at catching prey like ground squirrels compared to lone coyotes, and it typically used less energy in the process. Similarly, when hunting with a coyote, a badger spent less time below ground excavating, saving critical energy.
Videos by Outdoors
A graduate student named Emma Balunek is revisiting this unique interspecies relationship using trail cameras set up across the western half of the United States. Balunek has shared some videos from the trail cameras on her YouTube page that show a coyote and a badger working together to sniff out a meal.
In an interview with The Wildlife Society, John Benson, associate professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln said: “The badger handles the belowground work, and the coyote handles the aboveground work.”
By leveraging each others’ unique skills above and below ground, coyotes and badgers can be better together. Learn more about Balunek’s project here.
Watch various clips of footage showing a coyote and a badger working together:
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