Honey Badgers

There is a very famous saying doing the rounds amongst the South Africans and it goes like this, "so taai soos a ratel", which means, 'as tough as a honey badger'. Like the lightweight or featherweight boxer that makes up for his lack of size with amazing speed and Herculean ferocity, the Honey badger is just as well-equipped so as to live up to its fearful reputation. It will attack practically any animal, no matter how dangerous or big its adversary. There seems to be no natural predator for adult ratels, which in itself is concrete evidence as to how formidably tough this animal is, even though it hardly wears more than that of a medium-sized dog.

A lion was once recorded as having killed a honey badger, but there were plenty of signs of a terrible battle taking place, and according to author and naturalist, Jonathan Kingdon, it was said that three adult ratels managed to take a kill away from four half-grown and three sub-adult lions!

The ratel's courage is backed up by some of the most powerful jaws ever, an exceptionally thick and tough skin, which is nearly 6 millimeters thick around the neck and knifelike front claws. The honey badgers coat has been describes by many as 'hog-like', and it is sparse and coarse, darkish in color and has a skunk-like gray stripe that runs right from the forehead to the tail. It is powerful and broad with sturdy and stout legs and is aided by extremely loose skin, so the honey badger can twist and turn its lithe body in many different ways so as to grab an assailant.

And woe befall all those male assailants! According to popular folklore (that is also backed by some very concrete evidence), honey badgers are said to go for the scrotum first when attacking other animals (like Wildebeest, Buffalo, Water Buck, Kudu and even man!) that dare to offer real or even imagined provocation. In some places in the Kruger Park, reports have show that an adult male buffalo, a water buck and Gnu have all been found dead due to loss of blood after honey badgers attacked them in the scrotum.

The honey badger's ferocious attitude can only be equaled by its insatiable appetite for honey. Mellivora, which is its genus name, is derived from the word 'honey eater', and honey is its favorite food during the rainy seasons. Its strange relationship with the Greater Honeyguide is quite remarkable, if not a bit inconclusive. The bird is apparently very well-known for eliciting honey-hunters to follow it right to hives, and the honey badger is just about the only animal other than man of course, that will regularly accept its invitation. The very foundation of this partnership is the honey badgers craving for honey and bee larvae and the Honeyguide's fondness for wax. However, neither of the animals is dependent on the other one for survival, or even to gain admittance to or find hives. The honey badgers probably find more nests with very little effort, with the help of the Honeyguide; and the bird in turn finds most nests inaccessible without the help of the ratel.

When a Honeyguide sees a prospective follower; in this case let's take the honey badger, it will approach within a distance of about 10 to 15 centimeters and begin calling. While churring continuously, this drab bird will fan its tail and display the white feathers. It will swoop from tree to tree until it reaches a hive and will then wait for the follower to find this bee's nest. According to many witnesses, a honey badger in pursuit of a Greater Honeyguide will generally answer it by making grunting noises, growling sounds or a slight sibilant chuckling or hissing sound.

The honey badger supposedly uses it anal glands to fumigate biting insects and bees before attacking the hives, in the very same way that a human would use smoke in order to subdue the bees before harvesting the honey. By backing up right to the opening of the beehive, the honey badger will run its protruding anal pouch all around by swirling its tail, and even performing quirky handstands in order to release profuse quantities of the secretion that has a very suffocating smell. Beekeepers have often described there being a very pungent odor and have also found many of their bees in a stupefied state right after a honey badger attack. Other beekeepers have reported finding a great number of dead bees. Its ferocious appetite has put it in conflict with many of the South African beekeepers, which has now resulted in an initiative taken by various people to promote tolerance and understanding between the two.

In addition to its insatiable appetite for bee larvae and honey, the honey badger also has a very diverse diet. During the summers, it will supplement its diet with a number of insects, like beetles, termites, ants, spiders and scorpions, as it is very skilled at rooting and digging for prey from underground nests. Honey badgers have even been seen foraging for turtles, tortoises, fish, frogs and other animals that take advantage of these abandoned termite mounds, like lizards, snakes and mongooses. Honey badgers have also been observed killing mambas, by dragging them out of their holes and then devouring them with absolutely no concern, and this is probably one of the benefits of their thick and impervious skin. A ratel cannot pass a cavity or hole without exploring it by using its superb sense of smell, and by using the Aardvark trick of blowing right into it and then listening for a scuffle or some kind of response. They also feed upon fruit, berries, and carrion, and have also been seen scaling large trees to invade the nests of vultures.

Honey badgers are found in Africa and Asia, but are mostly found in Southern part of the Sahara. Since they are primarily nocturnal animals, they are a very rare sight. Most badgers travel in pairs but can also be solitary and live in abandoned rodent dens or termite mounds. The average size of the adult honey badger ranges anywhere, from 23 to 28 centimeters in height, and around 96 centimeters in length. They definitely belong to the 'featherweight' category, weighing merely 12 kilos.