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The following questions have been asked
about honey badgers:
( send your questions to: rateldotcom@hotmail.com
)
What do their names mean?
Their scientific name Mellivora
capensis mean "honey eater of the Cape", it refers to
their well known liking for bee brood and the place where they were first
described, The Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. Their other common name
-"Ratel" probably refers to the rattling sound they make when
they are frightened and was probably taken from the Afrikaans
language common in the Cape.
Are honey badgers invincible?
The Honey badger has been referred to as "the
meanest animal in the world", and they are often considered to have no
enemies, apart from man. However, in reality there are a number of records of
them being killed by lion, leopard and on one occasion an African rock
python. Some authors suggest that badgers are impervious to bee stings
(and even bullets), but badgers
have been stung to death by honeybees, particularly when they are caught
in apiary traps (Kingdon 1989; personal communications). There is good
evidence to suggest that, like other mustelids and viverrids (e.g.
mongooses, hog-nosed skunks), badgers are less sensitive to venoms than
many other mammals (personal observations).
Do Greater honeyguides (bird)
lead honey badgers to beehives?
Greater honeyguides (Indicator
indicator) are reported to lead badgers to beehives, whereupon the
badger breaks open the hive and after feeding, leaves scraps for the bird.
This relationship is an often-cited example of mutualism between a bird
and a mammal and was first reported by Sparrman in 1786. Variations of
this association appear regularly in the literature and the association is
widely accepted as fact by the general public. This relationship continues
to be a contentious issue amongst ornithologists and has never been
comprehensively documented (Dean 1983; Dean et. al. 1990; Macdonald 1994).
Do honey badgers emasculate their
prey?
Honey badgers are reputed to go for the scrotum when
attacking large animals. The first published record of this behaviour was
a circumstantial account by Stevenson- Hamilton (1947) where a badger
reportedly castrated an adult Buffalo. Other animals alleged to have been
emasculated by honey badgers include wildebeest, waterbuck, kudu, zebra
and man. This has also been reported by other African tribes,
but no direct evidence exists to support this behaviour.
Do honey badgers form
"pairs"?
Honey badgers do not form long
lasting pair bonds., they are not monogamous and the male does not play a
role in rearing offspring. While groups of two or three individuals are
frequently sighted, these are not considered to be family groups and
usually consist of a number of males traveling together searching for
females, or males with a female in oestrus. Males
will meet up and compete for a chance to mate with a receptive female during oestrus for a number of
days. Juveniles spend an unusually long time with their
mothers (14 - 18 months) and this explains why there has been confusion
regarding sightings of "pairs". Since honey badgers show sexual
size dimorphism with the male substantially larger than the female, male offspring can reach
almost twice the size of their mothers before independence. Male honey
badgers may also be found in groups consisting of as many as five
individuals. There are also records of Honey badgers congregating at an abundant food
source.
Can honey badgers
"fumigate" a beehive with their scent glands?
It is often suggested that badgers
release scent from their anal glands to subdue bees or cause them to
vacate the hive (Attenborough 1998; Kingdon 1989). The anal secretion is
said to be "unendurable" and acts "like an anaesthetic,
causing some bees to flee and others to become moribund" (Neal &
Cheeseman 1996). Others suggest that honey badgers empty a hive by
repeatedly holding their tail in front of the hive entrance. The disturbed
bees attach themselves to the tail, whereupon the badger transports them
away and returns to the unguarded honey (Kigatiira 1984). African hunters
also say that badgers perform handstands while fumigating the hive
(Kingdon 1987). Observations in the southern Kalahari and the Zambezi valley
(Mana Pools) do not support any of these stories and on many occasions
badgers were very cautious when raiding wild beehives.
6) Where are some of the best places
to see honey badgers in the wild?
Due to their fairly small size
and solitary,
reclusive nature, honey badgers are particularly difficult to see in the
wild. While honey badgers are wide spread across most of Africa and
beyond, most sightings do not last more than a few minutes, often as an
individual trots across a road and disappears into the undergrowth. In
South Africa the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park (formerly known as
the Kalahari Gemsbok, South Africa) is an excellent area to see honey
badgers, especially in the winter when they may forage throughout the day.
In Namibia there are frequent sightings in the Etosha National Park, and
in Zimbabwe badgers make a habit of raiding tourist camp dustbins during
the night in the Mana Pools and Hwange National Parks (Nyamepi and
Sinamatella camps). In Kenya, the Tsavo National Park is well known for
sightings of honey badgers.
Where can I see honey badgers in
captivity?
Honey badgers may be found in the
following zoos: Bloemfontein Zoo (South Africa); Howletts Zoo (England);
Johannesburg Zoo (South Africa); Zoological Center Tel-Aviv (Israel);
Tel-Aviv University Zoo (Israel); Nehru Zoological Park (India); Riyadh
Zoological Gardens (Saudi Arabia), Sharjah Breeding Centre for Endangered
Arabian Wildife, United Arab Emirates, San Diego Zoological Garden,
California, USA
How many subspecies of honey
badgers are there in the world?
There are reputed to be as many as
10 subspecies of honey badgers, but most of these are based on variations in
pelage colour and external characteristics and it suspected that these do
not constitute actual subspecies. Genetic analysis is currently being
carried out at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
Are honey badgers sexually size
dimorphic ?
It has been said that there is a
lack of any pronounced sexual dimorphism in honey badgers. However, the Mustelid
family is characterized by sexual size dimorphism so it is hardly
surprising to find that male honey badgers are typically a third larger
than females.
Do honey badgers have webbed
feet?
Although some authors state that
that honey badgers have webbed feet (Estes 1992; Burton 1835; Sclater
1900) there appears to be no evidence to support this. Honey badgers are
however considered to be good swimmers (Kingdon 1977).
Why does the honey badger have
such a long gestation?
Honey badgers are often reported in
the literature to have a gestation of six months, and there are zoo
records of 153 and 162 days gestation respectively. Certainly in the
southern Kalahari and Israel gestation was recorded as six to eight weeks.
It has been suggested that honey badgers have delayed implantation in the northern parts of their
range , and this might explain the long gestation found in these zoo
records but still needs to be confirmed.
How many young do badgers
have ?
While honey badgers are frequently
reported to have litters of more than two cubs (Neal & Cheeseman 1996;
Estes 1992), little evidence to substantiate these claims could be found.
In the
Kalahari only one cub was raised at a time, though badgers have been
recorded with two offspring on occasion (Johnstone- Scott 1981; Skinner
& Smithers 1990; Rosevear 1974; Fourie pers. comm.).
Can badgers climb trees?
Some authors have suggested that
badgers are poor climbers (Cornish 1916; Bryden 1900; Wood 1876) and are
therefore unable to reach wild beehives (Dean 1985). However, provided
that the surface is rough and wide enough to grasp, adults are competent
climbers and in the southern Kalahari have been seen to remove a variety
of raptor chicks from their nests, including Whitebacked vultures (Begg
& Begg 2000a; Marlow 1983).
14) Do honey badgers sham death ?
It has been reported that honey badgers will play
dead when wounded (Kingdon 1977; Estes 1992). Recently a badger was found
lying on the edge of a road in the Phinda Game Reserve (Kwazulu Natal,
South Africa). This individual appeared to be dead, but on closer
inspection it chased the observer around his vehicle. This badger may have
simply recovered from a case of concussion (D. Varty personal
communication). No evidence for badgers shaming death were observed
in the Kalahari.
Do honey badgers eat carrion ?
Badgers will certainly scavenge from
carcasses, leopard kills and baits set by hunters. They are opportunistic
carnivores and can also become a nuisance
by raiding refuse bins in campsites (e.g. Mana Pools National Park and
Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, Kruger National Park, South
Africa).
Do honey badgers cache surplus
food ?
Badgers have been recorded caching
honey comb, spring hares and snakes in the southern Kalahari.
Where can I obtain or buy a
honey badger?
In South Africa honey badgers are a
specially protected "red data" species and a permit is required
to capture or keep one in captivity. They are considered
"vulnerable" in the South African Red Data list and are listed on appendix III of the CITES agreement
(www.cites.org.za/mammals.html) and cannot be bought as pets. If you are wanting to reintroduce honey
badgers into a protected area, it would be best to contact the IUCN's
Reintroduction Specialist Group.
How long do honey badgers live?
In captivity honey badgers can live
up to 24 years but in the wild are only likely to live 7-8 years, may be
less. Old honey badger teeth are badly worn and these individuals are
probably more likely to be killed by predators.
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