Some animals do not rely on size to be feared. Some smaller animals can pack a big punch.They are tough as nails and they are not afraid of anything. The honey badger has even been named by the Guiness Book of World records as the “Most Fearless Animal in the World”. So, where do they live, what do they eat, and just why are they so tough and fearless?

If you look at this animal you may think he looks like a skunk that works out a lot.  With the dark body, short legs and white markings down its back there is no mistaking the family resemblance. The family body odor is there as well. Not wanting to be outdone by its cousin, this little fellow can release a stink bomb of great magnitude. The honey badger is part of the mustelid family. This is the same family of animals that includes skunks, weasels, otters, ferrets and badgers. 

Its real name is Ratel, but it is called the honey badger because its favorite food is honey. The honey badger is a carnivore so why does it crawl right into a bee’s hive to eat? It wants the small larvae laid by the queen that will soon turn to bees. Honey is just an extra treat for all the hard work he does getting to the hive and fighting off the bees. The bees battle back. They try to protect their hive from the badger, but his skin is too tough and his fur is too thick for their stingers to penetrate.

A honey badger’s thick skin won’t save it from everything. When he’s bitten by a snake, this little guy has to call on another super power. The animal is not immune to snake venom, but it is resistant to it. Honey badgers like to eat snakes.  Snakes often find themselves face to face with this mighty warrior when it enters the badger’s burrow. Over time, a natural resistance to snake venom has formed in the honey badger’s body. Scientists have studied how honey badgers can be immune and have concluded that over time, the badger’s DNA has changed to resist venom. In other words, it has evolved. 

Honey badgers have adapted in other ways as well. They can live in forests, on the plains and in jungles and in the desert. Its short legs and long claws help it dig a lair to live in. It may dig as deep as nine feet to make a home. It is in this burrow that the honey badger will give birth up to twice a year. They only have one baby at a time and it will stay with its mom for about eight months while it learns to survive.

With thick loose skin, formidable stink glands, claws up to two inches long and teeth sharp as razors that can bite through bone, it is no wonder this is considered a tough animal. Add that to the fact that these guys have no problem standing up to large predators like lions and you can see why they are considered to be “The Most Fearless Animal in the World”.