Honey badger
A species of Honey badger, Also known as Cape ratel Scientific name : Mellivora capensis Genus : Honey badger
Honey badger, A species of Honey badger
Also known as:
Cape ratel
Scientific name: Mellivora capensis
Genus: Honey badger
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Bernard DUPONT , used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original
Description
The honey badger (Mellivora capensis), also called ratel, is a species of predator from the marten family (Mustelidae) living in Africa and Asia. Despite its name, it is not counted among the badgers in the real sense (Melinae), but is managed in its own subfamily, Mellivorinae.
General Info
Lifespan
7-14 years
Diet
Honey badger is primarily a carnivorous species, known for its voracious appetite. It predominantly feeds on honey and bee larvae, hence earning its moniker, honey badger. Nevertheless, honey badger's diverse diet also extends to various insects, small mammals, birds, fruits, and even reptiles and amphibians when available.
Appearance
Honey badger is a robust, mid-sized mammal with a barrel-like body shape. It sports a sleek, thick, coarse coat primarily of ashen-grey, accented by a conspicuous broad black stripe running from its head to its tail's tip. Its skin under the fur is remarkably thick and tough. Honey badger has a small pointed face, snub nose, tiny eyes, and round ears which are almost obscured by the fur. It possesses powerful legs with sharp, long claws, used primarily for digging. There are no significant gender differences in its appearances.
Behavior
Honey badger is a largely solitary animal with excellent digging ability, facilitating burrow dwelling and foraging for food. It's known to be aggressive, fearlessly defending its territory. Exceptionally adaptive, honey badger can endure environmental extremes due to robust metabolism and sleep patterns. Moreover, honey badger exhibits unique behavior of attacking large venomous snakes.
Population
Decreasing
Photo By Bernard DUPONT , used under CC-BY-SA-2.0 /Cropped and compressed from original
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Mammals Order
Carnivores Family
Mustelids Genus
Honey badger Species
Honey badger