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| Subspecies:
| Unknown |
| Est. World Population: |
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| CITES Status: |
NOT LISTED |
| IUCN Status: |
Least Concern |
| U.S. ESA Status: |
NOT LISTED |
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| Body Length: |
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| Tail Length: |
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| Shoulder Height: |
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| Weight: |
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| Top Speed: |
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| Jumping Ability: |
(Horizontal) |
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| Life Span: |
in the Wild |
| Life Span: |
in Captivity |
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| Sexual Maturity: |
(Females) |
| Sexual Maturity: |
(Males) |
| Litter Size: |
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| Gestation Period: |
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Habitat:
This species lives in a wide variety of habitat types from the dense rain forests of equatorial Africa (Bahaa-el-din et al. 2013, Greengrass 2013) to the miombo and mopane woodland of Eastern Africa (Bird and Mateke 2013, Fischer et al. 2013, White 2013) or the arid deserts on the outskirts of the Sahara and Namib. It also occurs in sand and clay deserts of Middle Asia (Heptner et al. 1967, Gorbunov 1995). Honey Badgers are essentially nocturnal, but may be active during the day in areas where there is little human disturbance, and during seasons when day temperatures are cooler (Begg et al. submitted). They are opportunistic, generalist carnivores, and feed on a range of prey items varying in size from small insect larvae to the young of ungulates (Begg et al. 2003a). Although they are primarily hunters of their own food, they may pirate food from other carnivores and will also scavenge from the kills of larger animals (Begg et al. 2013). All mammalian carnivores smaller than Honey Badgers are prey items, as are the young of medium-sized carnivores (Begg et al. in press). Large carnivores such as Lion (Panthera leo) and Leopard (Panthera pardus) prey on Honey Badger adults and cubs, while cubs are also killed by Black-backed Jackals (Canis mesomelas). Honey Badgers are primarily solitary, with a non-territorial polygynous or promiscuous mating system (Begg et al. 2005b). Males may range over areas as large as 500 km², and scent-marking plays an important role in communication (Begg et al. 2003b). Small litter size (generally one cub) and a long birth interval (Begg et al. 2005a), coupled with large home-range size, explains why this species generally presents low densities.
Range:
The Honey Badger has an extensive range which extends through most of sub-Saharan Africa from the Western Cape, South Africa, to southern Morocco and south-western Algeria, and outside Africa through Arabia, Iran and western Asia to Middle Asia (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan), the Indian peninsula and Nepal. There are no collection records from Afghanistan (Hassinger 1973, Habibi 2004), but the species has been recorded on the Turkmenistan side of the cross-border Tedzhen, Murghab and Amu Darya river valleys (Sapozhenkov et al. 1973). Therefore it could well be present in northern Afghanistan, as already suggested by Bobrinskii et al. (1944). There are no records from Egypt (Basuony et al. 2010) or Syria (Masseti 2009). However, it is possible that Honey Badger is marginally present in the latter country, especially because the species occurs in neighbouring Jordan (Amr 2000) and Israel (Werner 2012). Historically, it is thought to be absent from the driest centre of the Sahara Desert, the Mediterranean coast as far as the Nile Valley, and the central (Free State province) part of South Africa. Although widespread in much of India, its distribution in the southern states is highly discontinuous (e.g., Gubbi et al. 2014) and it barely penetrates the North-east (Choudhury 2013). The few records from Iran are widely spread, although Joolaee et al. (2012) traced none from the country's north-west or its east. Its range in Kazakhstan is limited to the southern Mangistau region in the west of the country, notably the Ustyurt Reserve (Plakhov 2005). Some sources indicate that it occurs in Bangladesh, but there seem to be no specific records from the country (Hasan Rahman pers. comm. 2014). In Africa, they are known to range from sea level to as much as 2,600 m a.s.l. in the Moroccan High Atlas (Cuzin 2003) and 4,000 m a.s.l. in the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia (Sillero-Zubiri 1996).
Conservation:
Honey Badger is found in many protected areas throughout its range, including the Kgalagadi N. P., Kruger N. P., Niassa National R. and, in Kazakhstan, the Ustyurt Reserve. It is legally protected in many countries, including the Middle Asian countries of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan and the Mediterranean countries of Israel, Morocco and Algeria. Commercial hive damage from Honey Badgers can be simply and effectively reduced (26% to 1%) by securing bee hives 1 m or more above the ground on a stand or trestle (Begg and Begg 2002), thereby minimising conflicts between Honey Badgers and apiculturists. The populations of Botswana and Ghana are listed on CITES Appendix III.
