badger
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badger
A nocturnal carnivorous animal native to Europe and Asia, from the marten family, with a characteristic black-and-white face.
Nachts kann man manchmal einen Dachs im Garten beobachten, wie er nach Regenwürmern sucht.
At night, you can sometimes observe a badger in the garden looking for earthworms.
A useful compound word is 'der Dachsbau' (badger sett). This refers to the underground den where a badger lives. 'Der Bau' is the general word for a dwelling that animals dig.
Der Eingang zum Dachsbau war gut zwischen den Wurzeln einer alten Eiche versteckt.
The entrance to the badger sett was well hidden among the roots of an old oak tree.
There is a very common idiom: 'stur wie ein Dachs' (stubborn as a badger). It is used to describe a very headstrong or stubborn person.
Mein Großvater will keine Hilfe annehmen, er ist stur wie ein Dachs.
My grandfather refuses to accept any help; he is stubborn as a badger.
In descriptions, the badger is often associated with its most important characteristics: it is 'nachtaktiv' (nocturnal), 'gräbt' (digs) a den, and has a striking 'schwarz-weißes Gesicht' (black-and-white face).
Der Dachs ist ein scheues, nachtaktives Tier.
The badger is a shy, nocturnal animal.
marten
'der Dachs' and 'der Marder' both refer to predators that also occur in Europe. They can be confused because the badger belongs to the marten family. In everyday language, however, 'Marder' usually refers to a smaller, slender animal often known for damaging cars. A badger is larger and more powerful and has a striking black-and-white face. If you mean an animal with a broad body and a striped face, 'Dachs' fits. For a small animal that bites through cables in a car, people are more likely to say 'Marder'.
Nachts lief ein Dachs am Waldrand über den Weg.
At night, a badger crossed the path at the edge of the forest.
Ein Marder hat die Kabel im Auto meiner Nachbarin beschädigt.
A marten damaged the cables in my neighbor's car.