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Predators
Honey badger
Honey badger · Mellivora capensis
Honey badgers are feared survival specialists with a strong instinct for digging and a distinctive black and grey contrast on their back.
Fact file
- Size
- Shoulder height 25–35 cm, weight 9–16 kg, males usually slightly larger
- Males and females
- Males are slightly larger and more powerful but are hard to distinguish from females by appearance alone
- Sounds
- Growling, howling and grunting, and loud screams when threatened
- Diet
- Omnivore: bee larvae, honey, insects, small mammals, birds and fruit
- Offspring
- Females usually give birth to one or two young after a gestation period of 6–8 months in spring
How to identify Honey badger
The honey badger has a compact build and looks surprisingly powerful for its small body size. The head is broad, the snout short and distinctive. The most obvious identifying feature is the striking, high-contrast band of colour on its upper body. From the forehead across the back to the tail runs a silvery grey field that stands out sharply from the rest of the deep black body.
Its legs are short and stocky, with strong claws on the front paws – ideal for digging. Adult honey badgers reach a shoulder height of about 25–35 centimetres and usually weigh 9–16 kilos. The bushy, short tail is usually black at the tip. Males are generally slightly larger and more robust than females.
More in the app
With Wildful Stories+ you also get in the app:
- general viewing tips
- 3 places where you can see Honey badger
Where Honey badger live
Botswana
South Africa
Namibia
- Brandberg
- Buffalo Core Area
- Bwabwata Nationalpark
- Caprivi-Streifen
- Damaraland
- Dolomite & Olifantsrus
- Erongo Gebirge
- Etosha Nationalpark
- Halali
- Hoanib
- Kalahari
- Kwando Core Area
- Mahango Core Area
- Mudumu Nationalpark
- Namib-Naukluft Nationalpark
- NamibRand Nature Reserve
- Namutoni
- Nkasa Rupara National Park
- Okaukuejo
- Palmwag
- Rundu
- Sossusvlei
- Spitzkoppe
- Twyfelfontein
- Waterberg Plateau
Discover Honey badger on your trip.
The app shows you where and when to see wildlife along your route.
