The honey badger (\(Mellivora capensis\)), also known as the ratel, is a tenacious and fearless member of the weasel family. Found across Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent, it is surprisingly strong for its size. It possesses a thick, loose hide and powerful claws, allowing it to withstand considerable attacks and making it a formidable presence in its diverse habitats.
The Name For A Group
Although the honey badger is solitary, collective nouns exist for badgers in general. A group of badgers is traditionally referred to as a “cete” or a “clan,” with “company” also suggested. These terms are rooted in the social structure of the European badger, which lives in extensive family groups sharing a den known as a sett.
Applying terms like cete or clan to the honey badger is mostly trivia, as they rarely congregate in stable groups. The social nature of \(Mellivora capensis\) differs fundamentally from its European relatives. If two or more adults are observed together, it is almost always a temporary situation, such as mating or a chance encounter at a foraging site.
Why Honey Badgers Are Solitary
Honey badgers do not form stable groups due to their ecological niche and feeding habits. They are solitary, nomadic foragers who cover vast distances to find food, making cooperative hunting unnecessary. Their varied diet includes reptiles, rodents, insects, and carrion, which they often dig up using their formidable claws.
This opportunistic foraging demands an extensive individual territory. Adult males maintain large home ranges, sometimes exceeding 500 square kilometers, while females claim smaller areas, averaging over 120 square kilometers. Their territorial nature is reinforced by scent-marking, using secretions from their anal glands to signal boundaries. Maintaining such large, non-exclusive ranges is incompatible with forming a cohesive, permanent group.
Temporary Family Units
The only stable exception to the solitary rule is the bond between a female and her young. After a gestation period of 50 to 70 days, the female gives birth to typically a single cub in an underground den, raising it entirely alone. The father plays no role in the offspring’s upbringing.
This maternal bond is long-lasting, with the cub remaining dependent on the mother for 12 to 16 months. This prolonged duration allows the mother to teach the young the intricate skills required for survival. The cub learns by observing and practicing techniques such as digging for prey, climbing trees to raid beehives, and killing venomous snakes. This temporary unit is the only instance where honey badgers operate as a cohesive pair in the wild.