Honey Badgers are part of the weasel family, meaning they are related to skunks, ferrets, and (you guessed it) otters. They get their name for their favorite food, but interestingly enough they eat the bee larvae that is found in the honey comb. Their appearance is very similar to their cousin (the skunk), they also have a gland at the bas of their tail that releases a stinky odor. They also have claws for defense an digging holes, they burrow up to nine feet long and five feet deep. Honey Badgers will use tunnels created by other species and alter them to their needs. They are nocturnal creatures (like owls) which means they sleep during the day and are active at night.

Honey Badgers are native to Africa and Asia, preferring dry areas, forests, and grass lands. These diverse animals can also swim, and climb trees. They are solitary creatures, tending to roam alone. They are not very friendly creatures, they tend to be very quarrelsome: with massive skulls, strong teeth, the odor, and thick loose skin Honey Badgers are not to be messed with! Their teeth can easily pierce a tortoise shell, and more importantly seriously harm a human (so I wouldn’t go anywhere near them).

Their birthing habits are much like humans, in that most often a single cub is born and sometimes two. Similar to bears, cubs will only stay with the mother for up to two years. In captivity a Honey Badger can live for up to twenty six years, in the wild it is unknown. Interestingly enough, these creatures can weigh up to thirty pounds and can be as long as three feet, personally I expected them to be much smaller.

Fun fact! The Guinness World Record book lists the Honey Badger as the most fearless animal. If you fast forward to the minute thirty two second point, you can see how a honey badger and a hyenna interact.

They are not close to extinction, but they do have threats. Bee keepers commit retaliatory killings for hive destruction, poachers kill these animals, and other predators are threats as well.

Its interesting to know that an animal as small in stature, is as fierce as this one, and even more the fact that they are mainly solitary creatures. As the record book states, they are fearless.