Sunday, May 11, 2008

Badger Day


I'm spending a bit of time these days in badger country, and last week had one walk right up to me. (The photo is of another one I met a few years ago, one that was in a more wooded habitat than most.) Members of the Mustelid (weasel) family, these creatures are fairly elusive for their size, and every encounter is one I treasure and remember. I can think of twelve that I have seen over the years, in Idaho, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon, including the two in the Snake River area that put on a fight thirty yards from Dawn and me in the year we married.

Badgers possess good hearing and an excellent sense of smell, but fairly poor eyesight. Getting close to one (or, as was the case last week, having one get close to you) generally requires a stiffish wind carrying both the sound and scent of you away from the animal.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Badgers possess good hearing and an excellent sense of smell, but fairly poor eyesight."

Did God make them with good hearing, smell, and bad eyesight or did they evolve this way?

Just wondering where you draw the line on evolution as an explanation for the diversity of life (it does NOT explain the origin of life). Many creationists will admit to the fact of evolution but still claim that it is somehow guided by God. Where do you stand on this?

Rick Gerhardt said...

Anonymous:

Thanks for reading, and that's a great question! If you'll allow me, I'll answer it on the blog proper (rather than here in the comments section), and I may use two or three posts to do it. Give me a day or two (I'm having a hectic week!)