Honey Badgers

09 Nov 2024 11:47:38 am

Tags : Honey Badgers

Topic: Biodiversity

Why in the news?

A honey badger, also known as the Ratel, has been captured on camera for the first time in the Terai East Forest Division (TEFD) of Uttarakhand. The discovery of the rare species in the region was published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa.

Source: Down To Earth

About Honey Badgers:

They are also known as the ratel.
These mammals are widely distributed in Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.
They are primarily a carnivorous species and have few natural predators because of their thick skin, strength and ferocious defensive abilities.
They have a fairly long body, but they are distinctly thick-set and broad across the back.
Their skin is remarkably loose, and allows the animal to turn and twist freely within it.
- The skin around the neck is 6 mm thick, an adaptation to fighting conspecifics.
The head is small and flat, with a short muzzle.
The eyes are small, and the ears are little more than ridges on the skin, another possible adaptation to avoiding damage while fighting.
They have short and sturdy legs, with five toes on each foot.
- The feet are armed with very strong claws, which are short on the hind legs and remarkably long on the forelimbs.
They are partially plantigrade animals whose soles are thickly padded and naked up to the wrists. The tail is short and is covered in long hairs.
They are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.