Honey badger Mellivora capensis Least concern
Where the honey badger lives – recorded in 10 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.
Pin and shaded countries are approximate. The pin is a representative wild sighting (a central record among 351 open-licence GBIF records), not an official range. Method · Records on GBIF · See weasels, otters, badgers & skunks on the world map
| Scientific name | Mellivora capensis |
|---|---|
| Group | Weasels, otters, badgers & skunks |
| Status | Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label) |
| Found in | 10 countries |
| Continents | Africa, Asia |
| Mass | 12 kg (male organism, circa) |
| Diet (main food) | honey, larva, gecko, beehive, tuber, carrion, Madoqua, Naja, Old World porcupine, Rhombomyina, Testudinidae, Pedetes capensis, bee |
| Class | Mammal |
| Order | Carnivora |
| Family | Mustelidae |
Where does the honey badger live?
Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the honey badger in 10 countries and territories across Africa and Asia.
Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.
How big is a honey badger?
Wikidata records the following for the honey badger: mass 12 kg (male organism, circa).
What does a honey badger eat?
Wikidata lists the main food source of the honey badger as: honey, larva, gecko, beehive, tuber, carrion, Madoqua, Naja, Old World porcupine, Rhombomyina, Testudinidae, Pedetes capensis, bee.
Is the honey badger endangered?
The honey badger’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.
What kind of animal is the honey badger?
The honey badger (Mellivora capensis) is a mammal in the order Carnivora and the family Mustelidae, genus Mellivora. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)
About the honey badger
The honey badger (Mellivora capensis), also known as the ratel ( or ), is a mammal widely distributed across Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is the sole living representative of the Mellivorinae subfamily of the Mustelidae.
It has a fairly long body, with a distinctly thick-set and broad back, and remarkably loose skin, allowing the badger to turn and twist freely within it. The largest terrestrial mustelid in Africa, the honey badger measures 55 to 77 cm (22 to 30 in) long and weighs up to 16 kg (35 lb). Sexual dimorphism has been recorded in this species, with males being larger and heavier than females. It has two pairs of mammae, and an eversible anal pouch.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Honey badger (revision 1376221657), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q173128 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).
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