Colour is always of some importance, and in some species it plays a vital role in survival. The markings on a badgers face however are usually easy to see, I have heard of a sow with two cubs that was so disturbed by the barking of a dog the two cubs went down below, but the sow laid flat on the floor and covered it's markings with its paws. There are three main categories, easily reconised

no 1 - melanistic,

no 2 - albino 

no 3 - erythristic

as well as a variety of colours which do not fit into any of the above categories, eg semi-albino, a sandy yellow & jet black badgers which have been seen in Gloucestershire. The true erythristic badger is a distinctive ginger colour on the back and sides and normally black underparts are sandy red. It is easy to get confused about the colours of badgers, for instance the guard hairs of badgers in Somerset can be reddish broun, due to the sandstone, in Durham because of ironstone deposits they can be descibed as scarlet or near coal black etc. In some areas of the country accounts of white badgers are almost legends, however more ofton than not their offspring turn out to be normal in colour. Dorchester, Weymouth and Berkshire are all areas where albino badgers have been seen, but they are rare and associated with legends.