A honey badger is an extraordinary animal, if you don’t know what this beast looks like, then you don’t understand which family this creature is from. If you look at the badger from the opposite side, you can see that its face resembles a bear’s face, body length without tail is 75-80 cm. The animal weighs 8-11 kg, males are larger than females, however, the difference in size is not noticeable as much as in other animals.
Their entire body, with the exception of their belly, is protected by thick skin, which is not so easy for predators to bite through, so honey badgers are not afraid of lions or leopards, and when they meet they prefer to fight back rather than run away.
These badgers are ubiquitous in Africa, and in some places inhabit Asia. They prefer to live in the steppes and avoid arid or humid places.
Lifestyle and habits
Like most representatives of the marten family, the honey badger leads a solitary lifestyle. Very rarely you can see a group, except perhaps a female with cubs or a bachelor community of males. The character of the honey badger is direct evidence that this is the bravest beast of the planet. They are not afraid of anyone, and adhere to the principle of not giving up without a fight, even if a lion falls into the clutches, the honey badger will resist until the last breath.
What does a honey badger eat?
This animal is omnivorous, but this does not mean that it is easy for him to arrange a feast.
Its main menu includes:
- Birds;
- Eggs
- Rodents
- Scorpions;
- Small crocodiles;
- Snakes.
Also, the badger does not disdain carrion, and with a good combination of circumstances, he can dine with something from the leopard's pantry, because honey badgers climb trees perfectly.
Honey Badger Hunt
The honey badger will be considered a full-fledged hunter only after it copes with serious prey - a poisonous snake. Snakes are the basis of the honey badger’s diet. Its immunity to snake venom is amazing. The mother “vaccinates” the cubs as soon as they begin to learn hunting. Under the supervision of the mother, the cub must fight with the scorpion and get a couple of bites. A scorpion bite is similar in sensations to a hot metal burn, so teenagers have a tight time with such training.
Adult honey-eaters react very strangely to a portion of poison released by a snake: at first it wriggles and then ceases to show signs of life, but after an hour it “comes to life” and behaves as usual.
Adult individuals are not afraid to get into a bee hive, they do this for the sake of the larvae of working bees, and honey. It is because of the great love for honey that this animal got its name.
When faced with lions or leopards, honey badgers try to confuse predators by portraying a retaliatory attack. If this does not work, the badger gives off an unpleasant odor, like a skunk. Winning time with such tactics, then hides, leaving big cats with a nose.
Breeding
Mating games take place once a year, and only at this time you can see the female and male together. After mating, it takes about 5-6 months before the female gives birth to cubs.
Presumably badgers begin to develop in the womb much later than fertilization. 2-3 babies are born, they feed on mother's milk. They will stay in the hole for another 2-3 weeks, after which the cubs first leave their shelter. The female teaches her offspring the wisdom of existence in the big world, without these lessons they will not survive.
Stoffle - the smartest honey badger in the world
The Kruger National Park (South Africa) contains a honey badger that amazes everyone with its quick wits. He is able to come up with a variety of ways to get out of his aviary. His name is Stoffl, and he lives with his girlfriend, so when he gets out, you have to catch 2 honey-eaters at once.
It all started with the fact that Stoffle got out of the aviary, simply having the ability to open the door. Then the staff began to close the house of badgers with two latches, while wrapping them with wire. But the honey badger still managed to get out, first he pushed the bottom gate valve, then he unwound the wire and got to the top.
After that, the rangers hung a lock on the door. Fortunately, the badger genius has not yet learned to break open the locks, but he thought of digging an exit under the fence, and again got out into the wild.
When Stoffle was caught, he was put in a corral with stone walls and a deep foundation, it was definitely impossible for the badger to escape from here. But this did not stop the honey badger, a tree was growing in the new building, and the badger bit off a branch from it and climbed over the fence along it.
Then the workers cut down the tree, but this did not help either.Stoffle began to drag stones to the wall and climb them through the wall. The employees pulled out all the stones, and in the corral, it would seem, there was nothing left that could contribute to the escape. However, the "professor" Stoffle began to sculpt balls from the earth, and use them in the same way as stones.
On the one hand, it seems that the honey badger doesn’t cause much trouble with his pranks, but after all, once he almost released the lions from the aviary. Fortunately, an employee noticed this in time. In the end, Stoffle's shoots began to happen less often, and after that they stopped altogether.
