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A new badger behavior was uncovered by Evan Buechley of the University of Utah when motion-sensitive cameras snapped photos of a badger burying a cow.

The doctoral student caught this new badger behavior during their study on scavengers in the Grassy Mountains in the northwest part of Utah. He placed seven cow carcasses in different locations and set up trap cameras to record what happened to them. After a week, he was surprised that one of the carcasses was missing, the Independent reported. Assuming that it was the work of mountain lions or coyotes, he did not expect to see a badger burying a cow when he downloaded the pictures from the camera trap.

While it is known that the omnivores bury rodents or rabbits, observers have never seen this animal bury a something bigger or heavier than them. But in this instance, the badger was able to cache the 50-pound carcass by excavating large directly under the dead animal. The holes will swallow the animal from below, Yahoo! News reported.

The new badger behavior impressed the observers because of its design and intent. In an area full of vultures and other large scavengers, the badger was able to keep the large prey for itself. The badger was also able to keep the meat for longer, just like in a fridge because of the cooler temperatures below.

Little is known about badgers because they are mostly nocturnal and just keep to themselves underground. Badgers are also considered pests and disliked by farmers because of their burrows that can injure cattle and horses but Beuchley believes that the badgers can be a natural way to dispose of diseased farm animals and prevent the spread of the disease.

The research though not specifically about badgers, hopes to shed more light into the behaviors of the scavengers in the area. What they might discover next might be more surprising than a badger burying a cow.