Caught on video: Coyote and badger share culvert to cross underneath highway

A surprising partnership was caught on video Monday, when a coyote was spotted playfully waiting for its likely hunting companion, a badger.

The two were captured on a wildlife camera maintained by Peninsula Open Space Trust, a group dedicated to protecting open space in San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties in California.

"We've combed through literally thousands of photos and videos from our remote cameras. There are a lot of interesting videos but we certainly do have favorites -- ones that really show some personality. That's something that excites me every time, catching a glimpse into behaviors and relationships between these animals and their surroundings," Neal Sharma, POST's Wildlife Linkages program manager, said on the nonprofit's blog.

This is not the first time coyotes and badgers have been spotted in the wild hunting together. According to The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, they have been spotted hunting prairie dogs and squirrels at the National Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center in Colorado.

The article says that in the months when the prey isn't hibernating, coyotes typically chase down the prey and when it crawls into a hole, the badger will take over by digging up the prey.

In the colder months, when some rodents are hibernating, the badger doesn’t need the coyote because they can get to the prey while it’s sleeping.

The culvert video has more than 10 million views in less than 24 hours.

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