Ratel Totally Explained

Everything about the Ratel totally explained

The Ratel (Mellivora capensis), also known as the Honey Badger, is a member of the Mustelidae family. They are distributed throughout most of Africa and western and south Asian areas of Baluchistan (eastern Iran), southern Iraq, Pakistan and Rajasthan (western India). It is the only species classified in the genus Mellivora and the subfamily Mellivorinae. They have been named the most fearless animal in the Guinness Book of World Records for a number of years.

Anatomy

Ratels are small, muscular and colored both black and white.

Behavior

Ratels have a great appetite for beehives, there have been cases of dead ratels being found stung to death within the hives they were trying to eat. Commercial honey producers don't take kindly to this destruction and sometimes shoot, trap, or poison ratels they suspect of damaging their hives.
   Some sources say that a bird, the honeyguide, has a habit of leading ratels and other large mammals to bees' nests. When a ratel breaks into the nest, the birds take their share too. Other sources say that honeyguides are only known to guide humans; see Greater Honeyguide.
   The ratel is among the fiercest hunters of the desert, with prey including earthworms, termites, scorpions, porcupines, hares, and even larger prey such as tortoises, crocodiles up to one metre in size, and snakes (including pythons and venomous species). Its ferocious reputation extends to attacks on animals much larger than itself.
   The honey badger can eat dangerous venomous snakes, most often the puff adder. If bitten the honey badger will become severely swollen and paralysed, unable to move for two to three hours. After this period of time the honey badger will re-awaken and continue with its meal or continue its journey. Even more tenaciously, a honey badger will gladly steal a snake's kill, eat it for itself then continue to hunt the snake. This ferocious nature of the badger has earned it its image as a formidable creature.
   It will also dig into burrows of small rodents and flush them out for a small meal. Because of the honey badger's large front claws, its ability to dig into burrows is very effective and most opportunities once a rodent is located are successful. The problem lies with the fact that other wildlife are aware of this and birds of prey and jackals are usually nearby ready to steal any kills which manage to squeeze past the honey badger.
   Honey badgers are also very intelligent animals. They are one of the few animals capable of using tools. In a documentary film Land of the Tiger, a honey badger in India was caught on film making use of a tool. The animal rolled a log and stood on it to reach a kingfisher fledgling stuck up in the roots coming from the ceiling in an underground cave.

Predators

Lions and leopards are the only known predators of the ratel, but because of the honey badgers ability to spray an offensive fluid from its anal gland lions and leopards take caution when it comes to hunting them.

Mating and cubs

Once a female honey badger comes into heat, courtship is very energetic. After days of deliberation, a male is accepted as a mating partner, and the honey badgers will remain in a burrow for 3-4 days of mating. The female badger will give birth to a cub 2 months later. A ratel cub is almost a complete replica of its mother, and as it grows, it learns to be aggressive to any other creature (for example, curious jackals) as it travels across the desert. It relies on its mother for food and shelter as they regularly move and she digs new burrows. Cubs can handicap a honey badger's hunting; therefore, they're usually left back at the den, where they can be vulnerable. It has been documented that other honey badgers will drag cubs from their dens and attack them, attempting to kill them. Due to cannibalistic threats such as this, only half of honey badger cubs will live to adulthood.
As the cub grows up, its ability to navigate the tough terrain of the desert improves by learning from its mother to not only walk, but to also climb trees and to chase snakes. The honey badger isn't born with these vital skills for survival, they must be learned.
Once a mother comes back into heat and is ready to rear another cub, the other cub is old enough and skilled enough to survive alone, so it makes its own way in the world, leaving its mother behind. This happens a few months after the cub has been born

Etymology and pronunciation

Ratel is Afrikaans, from Middle Dutch, rattle, honeycomb (either from its cry or its taste for honey). In English it's accented on the first syllable, and the "a" is pronounced as in "father."

The Killer Badger

ť Main article: Killer badger

The Killer badger is a creature found in a number of modern urban myths from Basra (Al Basrah) province, Iraq, where it was said to have attacked both people and livestock. It has since been identified as the ratel, inflated by rumor.

In Popular Culture

• The Honey Badger lends its name to the School of Oriental and African Studies' Rugby Football team. The Honey Badgers (SOAS warriors rugby football club) are one of the top University Rugby teams in the United Kingdom and the put this down to mimicking the badger; namely by drinking honey before, during and post fixtures.
   • The Honey Badger was mentioned by Jeremy Clarkson in an episode of Top Gear after James May listed several animals native to the Okavango Delta before they crossed it. Jeremy mentioned the unverified claim of the honey badger attacking a male opponent's testicles.
   • In the Jamie Uys comedy film The Gods Must Be Crazy II, a honey badger bites a hole in one of the tyres of a light aircraft and attacks the boot of one of the characters (Dr. Stephen Marshall) who stepped on it. It is portrayed as being a very tenacious and vengeful creature, refusing to stop chasing Dr Marshall across the desert.
   • In the online adventure game Runescape, players can use the Summoning skill in order to summon a Honey Badger.
   • The Honey Badger (1965), novel by Robert RuarkFurther Information

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