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The animal on the cover of RESTful Web Clients is the Asian badger (Meles leucurus). These animals are widespread throughout central and northern Asia, where they occupy a range of habitats, including forests, mountain regions, semi-deserts, tundra, and the occasional suburban neighborhood.

Also known as the sand badger, these creatures tend to be smaller and lighter in color than their European counterparts, with coarse, brownish-gray fur covering their stocky bodies. Their faces are white, with dark facial stripes that taper over each eye. They also possess short limbs equipped with strong claws for digging.

The Asian badger’s size varies according to region. The Siberian subspecies Meles leucurus sibiricus is considered the largest; boars can grow up to 28 inches long and weigh up to 29 pounds.

Sand badgers are sociable animals, hibernating in family groups and living in communal burrows. Mating occurs primarily in the springtime. Sows typically give birth between mid-January and mid-March.

Many of the animals on O’Reilly covers are endangered; all of them are important to the world. To learn more about how you can help, go to animals.oreilly.com.

The cover image is from Shaw’s Zoology. The cover fonts are URW Typewriter and Guardian Sans. The text font is Adobe Minion Pro; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is Dalton Maag’s Ubuntu Mono.