Animal · South Africa, Botswana, Namibia
Honey badger
Mellivora capensis — the name this animal has in the language scientists everywhere share.
The honey badger is a stocky black and grey relative of weasels that digs out snakes, raids bee nests and backs down from almost nothing. Its skin is so thick and loose that an attacker can grab it and still get bitten.
Picture credit: Bernard DUPONT (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Gerhard mauracher (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where does the honey badger live?
Home: Dry savannas, scrub and rocky hills from Africa to India.
In the wild it lives in these countries: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, India.
Conservation status from the IUCN: not in danger.
The short profile
Fully grown: 60-75 cm long, about 25 cm at the shoulder. It weighs about 10 kilograms. On the menu: meat.
The story behind it
A honey badger is not much longer than a house cat, but few animals have a bigger reputation. Its hide is thick and hangs so loosely that a larger predator can bite down on its back and the badger will simply twist around inside its own skin and bite back. Strong front claws let it dig a burrow in hard ground within minutes and tear open the nest of wild bees for grubs and honey. It eats almost anything it can catch: beetles, frogs, tortoises, rodents, eggs and snakes, including venomous ones. Honey badgers live alone across huge areas, and in zoos they are known for unlocking gates and climbing out of enclosures.
Find it on the globe
Honey badger is there as a tiny animated figure that breathes and looks around. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
It sits at its real coordinates, not near them — the same numbers listed in the facts above. Switch off the layer for this kind of place and it disappears again; the buttons for that are down the right-hand edge.
Questions children ask
Is the honey badger really so fearless?
It really does stand its ground against animals far bigger than itself, even lions and hyenas. Its tough, loose skin and sharp claws make it an awkward opponent, so most large predators give up rather than risk an injury.
Why is it called a honey badger?
Because it breaks open the nests of wild bees to reach the larvae and the honey inside. Its thick skin keeps most stings from reaching it while it digs into the nest.
Can a honey badger survive a snake bite?
Honey badgers hunt venomous snakes such as cobras and often survive bites that would kill another animal of their size. They are not immune, though: a badger can be knocked out for hours before it wakes up and carries on.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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