The Honey Badger

The honey badger is one of the biggest members of the weasel family. It mainly lives in Africa, but can also be found in Southwest Asia and India. Like their name says, honey badgers love honey and have a very interesting way of getting it. They send a stinky, "suffocating" smell from their butts into beehives! They eat the bees as they escape from the hive and then break the hive open to eat the honey. The honey badger's very thick fur protects it from the angry bee stings.

Honey badgers look a little like skunks with their black fur and white stripe. Honey badgers have long bodies and very loose skin, which allows the animal to twist and turn easily. They have short, sturdy legs and five toes on each foot. The honey badger has long, sharp claws, like its relatives the Eurasian badger, which is similar in size and lives in Europe, and the wolverine. (Check out my post on the wolverine below!) Honey badgers can weigh 13 to 26 pounds, and females are smaller than males. 

Honey badgers will eat just about anything, including small mammals, insects, honey, amphibians and fruit. They are mostly solitary animals who live and hunt alone. Honey badgers are known for the toughness and will fight any animal that threatens it, even animals much larger than itself, like water buffalos, lions and hyenas. 

Cool Fact: Honey badgers have long claws that help them break open beehives. 

Science Question: Which is the toughest animal in Africa - the lion, the leopard, the hyena or the honey badger? Put your answer in the comments below.