Name
Honey Badger [Mellivora capensis]
Description
One of Africa's most ferocious animals, Honey Badgers have been known to attack Lions and Buffalo when threatened. They will also attack humans when in real danger. They have a powerful bite and loose skin which enables them to wriggle out of any grasp. Honey Badgers feed on a wide variety of foods including eggs, fruit, honey, reptiles, insects, larvae and grubs. They have a relationship with the Honeyguide, a bird that leads them to beehives for a return of the spoils.
Vital Statistics
- Weight (Female)
- 12 kg
- Weight (Male)
- 12 kg
- Length (Female)
- 95 cm
- Length (Male)
- 95 cm
- Gestation Period
- 6 months
- No of Young
- 2 young
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Mustelidae
Breeding
Usually 2 young are born between October and January after a gestation period of ± 6 months.
Spoor Description
5 toes on the fore- and hind-feet; the claws on front feet are elongated and powerfully built, reaching a length of 35 mm. Those on the back feet are much shorter and more lightly built. The front claws are built like curved knives, broader on their top edges and sharp and knife-like below. The claws on the back feet lack the knife edge and are broad and hollowed out underneath. The intermediate pads are fused, and a proximal pad on each of the fore- and hind-feet is characteristic of its spoor. On very firm mud the proximal pads may not be very distinct.
