The Honey Badger

The honey badger
It looks harmless and vulnerable. But the honey badger is afraid of nothing...
and will attack and eat almost anything
The honey badger (Melivora capensis), is an African and south-Asian mammal

that has a reputation for being one of the world's most fearless animals, despite
its small size. And in spite of its gentle-sounding name, it is also one of its most
aggressive. Honey badgers have been known to attack lions, buffalo, and
snakes three times their size. Even humans are not safe from a honey badger if
it thinks the human will attack or harm it. They are also extremely tough
creatures, and can recover quickly from injuries that would kill most other
animals.
At first glance, honey badgers look like the common European badger. They are
usually between 75cm and 1 metre long, although males are about twice the
size of females. They are instantly recognisable by grey and white stripes that
extend from the top of the head to the tail. Closer inspection, which is probably
not a wise thing to do, reveals pointed teeth, and sharp front claws which can
be four centimetres in length.
Honey badgers are meat-eating animals with an extremely varied diet. They
mainly eat a range of small creatures like beetles, lizards and birds, but will also
catch larger reptiles like snakes and small crocodiles. Some mammals, such as
foxes, antelope and wild cats also form part of their diet.
The badgers locate their prey mainly using their excellent sense of smell, and
catch most of their prey through digging. During a 24-hour period, they may dig
as many as fifty holes, and travel more than 40 kilometres. They are also good
climbers, and can easily climb very tall trees to steal eggs from birds' nests, or
catch other tree-dwelling creatures.
As their name suggests, honey badgers have always been associated with
honey, although they do not actually eat it. It is the highly nutritious bee eggs
(called 'brood') that they prefer, and they will do anything to find it. They
usually cause a lot of damage to the hive in the process, and for this reason,
humans are one of their main predators. Bee-keepers will often set special
traps for honey badgers, to protect their hives.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the honey badger is its working
relationship with a bird called the greater honeyguide (Indicator indicator). This
bird deliberately guides the badger to beehives, then waits while the badger
breaks into the hive and extracts the brood. The two creatures, bird and
mammal, then share the brood between them.
On the trail of the honey badger
Researchers learn more about this fearless African

predator
On a recent field trip to the Kalahari Desert, a team of researchers learnt a lot
more about honey badgers. They were rewarded with a detailed insight into
how these fascinating creatures live and hunt.
The team employed a local wildlife expert, Kitso Khama, to help them locate
and follow the badgers across the desert. Their main aim was to study the
badgers' movements and behaviour as discreetly as possible, without
frightening them away or causing them to change their natural behaviour. They
also planned to trap a few and study them close up before releasing them. In
view of the animal's reputation, this was something that even Khama was
reluctant to do.
'The problem with honey badgers is they are naturally curious animals,
especially when they see something new,' he says. 'That, combined with their
unpredictable nature, can be a dangerous mixture. If they sense you have food,
for example, they won't be shy about coming right up to you for something to
eat. They're actually quite sociable creatures around humans, but as soon as
they feel they might be in danger, they can become extremely vicious.
Fortunately this is rare, but it does happen.'
The research confirmed many things that were already known. As expected,
honey badgers ate any creatures they could catch and kill. Even poisonous
snakes, feared and avoided by most other animals,, were not safe from them.
The researchers were surprised, however, by the animal's fondness for local
melons, probably because of their high water content. Previously researchers
thought that the animal got all of its liquid requirements from its prey. The
team also learnt that, contrary to previous research findings, the badgers
occasionally formed loose family groups. They were also able to confirm certain
results from previous research, including the fact that female badgers never
socialised with each other.
Following some of the male badgers was a challenge, since they can cover
large distances in a short space of time. Some hunting territories cover more
than 500 square kilometres. Although they seem happy to share these
territories with other males, there are occasional fights over an important food
source, and male badgers can be as aggressive towards each other as they are
towards other species.
As the badgers became accustomed to the presence of people, it gave the

team the chance to get up close to them without being the subject of the
animals' curiosity - or their sudden aggression. The badgers' eating patterns,
which had been disrupted, returned to normal. It also allowed the team to
observe more closely some of the other creatures that form working
associations with the honey badger, as these seemed to adopt the badgers'
relaxed attitude when near humans.

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The honey badger

The honey badger (Melivora capensis), is an African and south-Asian mammal

On the trail of the honey badger

Researchers learn more about this fearless African

As the badgers became accustomed to the presence of people, it gave the

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