Barcode badgers

Why are badgers black and white? Well it is only their head that has the distinctive black and white stripes - the rest of the body is grey. Badgers spend most of their lives underground or out at night, so their best developed senses are sound and smell. Why evolve a colourful coat if no one will ever see it? When it comes to picking a partner, badgers don't need to wear their Sunday best. The stripes are a message to other animals, such as predators, saying 'danger - keep away'. But what's so dangerous about a worm-eater? Skunks have stripes pointing to their dangerous rear end. Badger stripes point to a different danger zone - powerful jaws and sharp teeth, the badgers primary defense. Basically, the stripes are a barcoded message saying: Beware! Badgers bite!