Honey badger - Wikipedia. The honey badger (Mellivora capensis), also known as the ratel ( or ). It is native to Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Despite its name, the honey badger does not closely resemble other badger species; instead, it bears more anatomical similarities to weasels. It is classed as Least Concern by the IUCN owing to its extensive range and general environmental adaptations. It is primarily a carnivorous species and has few natural predators because of its thick skin and ferocious defensive abilities. Taxonomy. The honey badger is the only species of the genus.
Mellivora. Although in the 1. Melinae, it is now generally agreed that it bears very few similarities to the Melinae. It is much more closely related to the marten subfamily, Mustelinae, but furthermore is assigned its own subfamily, Mellivorinae.
Though not in the same subfamily as the wolverines, which are a genus of large- sized and atypical Mustelinae, the honey badger can be regarded as another, analogous, form of outsized weasel or polecat. The species first appeared during the middle Pliocene in Asia. Its closest relation was the extinct genus Eomellivora, which is known from the upper Miocene, and evolved into several different species throughout the whole Pliocene in both the Old and New World.
Smith, 1. 83. 3)vernayi (Roberts, 1. Ethiopian ratel. Mellivora capensis abyssinica. Hollister, 1. 91. Ethiopia. Turkmenian ratel. Mellivora capensis buechneri. Baryshnikov, 2. 00.
Similar to the subspecies indica and inaurita, but is distinguished by its larger size and narrower postorbital constriction. Its distinguishing feature is the fact that unlike other subspecies, it lacks the usual white bristle- hairs in the lumbar area.
Outside the former Soviet Union, its range includes Afghanistan, Iran (except the southwestern part), western Pakistan and western Indiamellivorus (Bennett, 1. Horsfield, 1. 85. Fraser, 1. 86. 2)White- backed ratel.
Mellivora capensis leuconota. Sclater, 1. 86. 7The entire upper side from the face to half- way along the tail is pure creamy white with little admixture of black hairs. It possesses an extra lower molar on the left side of the jaw. Kondakov. The honey badger has a fairly long body, but is distinctly thick- set and broad across the back. Its skin is remarkably loose, and allows it to turn and twist freely within it. The eyes are small, and the ears are little more than ridges on the skin.
The feet are armed with very strong claws, which are short on the hind legs and remarkably long on the forelimbs. It is a partially plantigrade animal whose soles are thickly padded and naked up to the wrists. The tail is short and is covered in long hairs, save for below the base.
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Honey badgers are the largest terrestrial mustelids in Africa. Adults measure 2.
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Females are smaller than males. Skull length is 1. The smell of the pouch is reportedly . The braincase is broader than that of dogs. The dental formula is: 3. The teeth often display signs of irregular development, with some teeth being exceptionally small, set at unusual angles or are absent altogether.
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Honey badgers of the subspecies signata have a second lower molar on the left side of their jaws, but not the right. Although it feeds predominantly on soft foods, the honey badger's cheek teeth are often extensively worn.
The canine teeth are exceptionally short for carnivores. Hairs are even sparser on the flanks, belly and groin.
The summer fur is shorter (being only 1. The sides of the heads and lower body are pure black. A large white band covers their upper bodies, beginning from the top of their heads down to the base of their tails. Its gestation period is thought to last six months, usually resulting in two cubs, which are born blind. They vocalise through plaintive whines. Its lifespan in the wild is unknown, though captive individuals have been known to live for approximately 2. They are skilled diggers, able to dig tunnels into hard ground in 1.
These burrows usually have only one passage and a nesting chamber and are usually only 1–3 m (3–1. They do not place bedding into the nesting chamber. In the 1. 99. 7 documentary series Land of the Tiger, a honey badger in India was filmed making use of a tool; the animal rolled a log and stood on it to reach a kingfisher fledgling stuck up in the roots coming from the ceiling in an underground cave. They have been known to savagely and fearlessly attack almost any kind of animal when escape is impossible, reportedly even repelling much larger predators such as lions. If horses, cattle, or Cape buffalos intrude upon a ratel's burrow, it will attack them. They are virtually tireless in combat and can wear out much larger animals in physical confrontations. When mating, males emit loud grunting sounds.
When hunting, they trot with their foretoes turned in. Honey badgers favour bee honey, and will often search for beehives to get it, which earns them their name. They are also carnivorous and will eat insects, frogs, tortoises, rodents, turtles, lizards, snakes, eggs, and birds. Honey badgers have even been known to chase away young lions and take their kills.
They will eat fruit and vegetables, such as berries, roots and bulbs. Honey badgers are able to feed on tortoises without difficulty, due to their powerful jaws. They kill and eat snakes, even highly venomous or large ones, such as cobras.
They have been known to dig up human corpses in India. It is known to range from sea level to as much as 2,6. Moroccan High Atlas and 4,0. Ethiopia's Bale Mountains. Because of their strength and persistence, they are difficult to deter.
They are known to rip thick planks from hen- houses or burrow underneath stone foundations. Surplus killing is common during these events, with one incident resulting in the death of 1. Muscovy ducks and 3. Their skin is hard to penetrate, and its looseness allows them to twist and turn on their attackers when held. The only safe grip on a honey badger is on the back of the neck. The skin is also tough enough to resist several machete blows. The only sure way of killing them quickly is through a blow to the skull with a club or a shot to the head with a gun, as their skin is almost impervious to arrows and spears.
The deputy dean of Basra's veterinary college, Dr. Ghazi Yaqub Azzam, speculated that . The video features footage from the Nat Geo WILD network of honey badgers fighting jackals, invading beehives, and eating cobras, with a voiceover added by the uploader, . The video has been referenced in an episode of the popular television series Glee and commercials for the video game Madden NFL 1. Wonderful Pistachios. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
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