Ratel
Ratel, or Honey Badger, an animal native to India and Africa that in appearance and habits resembles its relative the badger. A ratel grows to three feet (90 cm) in length, including a six-inch (15-cm) tail. The animal has a thickset body, short, powerful legs, and strong claws. It is gray above and black below. The ratel usually hunts by night and sleeps in a burrow or rock crevice by day. It eats insect larvae, birds, frogs, and other small animals. It is a fierce and fearless fighter, and gives off a foul odor when threatened.
Whose Favorite Food Is Honey?Ratels can climb trees to reach beehives. Their sharp claws make it easy for them to break open a hive. Their tough skin protects them from bee stings. Then they can feast on the honey as well as the bees.
A ratel often finds a beehive with help from a bird called the honey guide. Honey guides eat the honey, bees, and beeswax found in beehives, but they can have trouble getting inside the hive. So, if a honey guide sees a ratel in the area, it gives out a special call that leads the ratel to the hive. When the ratel arrives, it tears open the hive and the two animals feed. Besides honey, ratels also eat small animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects, as well as some types of plants.
Ratels belong to the genus Mellivora of the weasel family, Mustelidae. The Indian species is M. indica; the African, M. capensis.