Honey Badger Animal facts

Scientific Classification

Source: Flickr

Common name: Honey Badger

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Mustelidae

Subfamily: Mellivorinae

Genus: Mellivora

Species: M. capensis

Physical features:

Size

Adult male Honey Badger weigh around 6 - 16 Kgs and measure about 23 - 30 inches in length. Females are smaller, weighing between 4 to 10 Kgs and  around 25 inches length.

Legs, Feet & Claws

The honey badger has short and strong legs, The hind legs are slightly longer than their front legs. Honey badger has five toes on each foot with very strong claws, which are short on the hind legs and very long on the front legs.

Head, Eyes and Ears

Honey badger head is small and flat, with a short muzzle. The eyes are small, and the ears are little more than ridges on the skin.

Teeth and Tongue

Honey Badger teeth are irregular in size, some of them are very small. honey badger's cheek teeth are often extensively worn. The canine teeth are exceptionally short for carnivores. The tongue has sharp, backward-pointing papillae which assist it in processing tough foods.

Tail

Honey Badger tail is short and is covered in long hairs, save for below the base.

Hair & Coloration

Honey Badger has bristle-like hairs on the body. During winter fur become longer. Majority of the Honey badger body colour is black. Some of them has white band covers on their upper bodies.

Habitat and Distribution

Habitat

Honey Badger live in a many habitats such as grasslands, forest, mountains and semi-deserts.

Distribution

Honey Badger are found in various geographical locations and widely distributed through Africa, India, Nepal, Western Asia.

Population

Honey Badgers population is declining mode due to intervention with human. However, Honey badger has categorized as LC(Lease Concern) in conservation status.

Sense

Eyesight, Hearing, Touch, Smell and Taste

Honey Badger have relatively poor eyesight and an excellent sense of smell. Powerful and fearless, they are extremely resilient; their thick, tough skin is difficult to pierce, and is so loose that they can twist in it if they are pinned down by a predator.

Adaptations

Honey badger's strong and lengthy claws are adaptated for digging.

Honey badger's small eyes and closeable ears. This adaption avoid any damage while fighting, digging, and raiding nests of biting honey bee.

Honey badger has powerful anal glands, which produces strong odor. This adaption help them to fumigate bees.

Honey badger has very thick skin and lengthy fur. This help them to withstand hundreds of bee stings without damage.

Communication

Vocalization is the main communication for Honey badgers. Adults make high noises similar to bark. Young honey badgers either whine or squeal to gather attention of parent. Adult male honey badger have around 500 sq km of territory. Where as females have smaller territory, which is about 150 sq km. Honey badgers mark their territory with urine or scent glands.

Behavior

Social structure

Honey Badger are solitary in nature. They interact only for mating purposes and sometime share their food. Honey badger social system is connected through scent marks and vocalizations.

Social Behavior

Male Honey badger has larger territories compare to females.

Daily Activity Cycle

Honey Badger more active during night and less active at day time. Sometime this pattern may change due to season and prey activity.

Individual Behavior

Honey badgers are fearless animals, they ready to face any predictor no matter their size or strength.

Diet & Eating Habits

Honey badgers are carnivorous and they have wide range of diet. Honey badgers eat snakes, birds, eggs, frogs, rodents. Honey badger favorite food is honey. They ejoy eating honey from a bee hive.

Honey badger eat vegetables and fruits as well. They eat plant roots, berries and bulbs in the forest.

Male Honey badgers eat more food than female because of their foraging activity and size.

Reproduction

Detailed reproductive biology of the honey badger is not documented

Honey badger do not have breeding season. Which means they may give birth all seasons.

Honey badger gestation period lost for six months.

Female badger has birth interval of more than a year.

Honey badger cubs may stayed with their mother for a minimum of 10 to 14 months.

Honey badger cub may become adult within eight to nine months.

Longevity and Causes of Death

Lifespan of Honey Badger

Honey badger live for about 23 - 24 years both in forest and in captivity.

Predators

Lions, Leopards and hyaenas kill honey badger for food.