Would you, could you, in the dark?

I know many of my regular readers come here only to read peculiar information that seems to find me (I’m not looking for it, I swear!) with regards to animals. Well, here, for your enjoyment, is a little tidbit on the mating habits of badgers. It’s from an article called “Women are not the only ones who prefer sex in the dark” and was written by Nic Fleming, Science Correspondent for the London Daily Telegraph.

A study of badgers' mating habits has found that, like many women, they prefer to have sex in the dark. During a new moon, female badgers are "tolerant or indifferent" to the advances of males and, when the moon is full, they become actively hostile.

But during the darker phase, from the last quarter to the first quarter of the lunar cycle, they are more amorous and mate far more frequently.

Dr David Dixon, a biologist who made the discovery, said: "A possible evolutionary driver for this link with the lunar cycle is that badgers spend a long time copulating - 90 minutes or more is not unusual. This means that in the past, amorous badgers may have been at considerable risk from attack by wolves, lynx, or bears unless they restricted their mating activities to when the countryside was cloaked in darkness."

Last year, a survey revealed that one in five women feels uncomfortable undressing within sight of her husband or boyfriend and a similar proportion also refuses to have sex when the lights are left on.

I know what you’re thinking...what the hell, eh? On the one hand we have women and on the other, badgers. Let’s see how they’re similar. Makes me wonder…maybe it’s because badgers have self-esteem issues relating back to the unattainable standards for badger beauty paraded in front of them in badger pop culture. Who knows?

And, because I’ve had requests for more information about animals’ glands, here’s a BONUS FACT, just for Amy:

Badgers belong to the same family of mammals that have musk-bearing glands under their tails - including the otter, polecat, stoat, weasel and pine marten.