Size: total length:780 to 1020mmm head:25 to 155 mm body:500 to 640 mm : tail:160 to 230mm : shoulder height:230 to 300 mm: neck circumference:225 to 355 mm: Weight: male: 9.0 to 14.0 kg female:5.5 to 10.0 kg Diet In South Africa, honey badgers are a specially protected species and a permit is required to capture or keep one in captivity. Old honey badger teeth are badly worn and these individuals are probably more likely to be killed by predators. American badgers are solitary; European badgers are sociable. Despite their fierceness and fearlessness though, honey badgers still need our protection. Interestingly enough, these creatures can weigh up to thirty pounds and can be as long as three feet, personally I expected them to be much smaller. The ratel / the honey badger – interesting facts. Badgers have lived to be 26 years old in captivity. The Guinness World Record book lists the Honey Badger as the most fearless animal. (Begg, et al., 2005a; Begg, et al., 2008; Rosevear, 1974) Typical lifespan Status: wild 7 to 8 years; Typical lifespan Status: captivity 24 to 26 years; Behavior. Honey badger cubs, or kits, are born with their eyes closed, hairless and with pink skin. Fun fact! How Long Honey Badger Can Live-In captivity honey badgers can live up to 24 years but in the wild are only likely to live 7-8 years, may be less. 1997; Harthoorn 1976). Don’t panic, but there’s a honey badger following you …on Twitter. The ratel is the biggest land weasel animal in Africa. Badgers are good at digging burrows. In captivity, the oldest honey badger lived 26 years 5 months (Nowak and Paradiso 1983). How Honey Badger Breaths-The Honey Badger takes in air through its nose and mouth. They may be radio-tracked via an internal transmitter implanted into the abdominal cavity. Taxonomy: As many as 10 subspecies suggested, currently being revised. Meet BG, a resident of the Johannesburg Zoo in South Africa and quite possibly the world’s first tweeting honey badger in captivity: In captivity honey badgers can live up to 24 years but in the wild are only likely to live 7-8 years, may be less. Honey badgers are solitary and nomadic. A ratel aka honey badger in captivity. In contrast, honey badgers bred in captivity live significantly longer, with a maximum lifespan of 26 years. Honey badgers have been successfully immobilized with 5 mg/kg ketamine, 0.8 mg/kg phencyclidine, and 1 mg/kg xylazine (Bingham et al. Lifetime: around 24 years in captivity; Ratel, the honey badger (Mellivora capensis). Badgers have keen vision, scent, and hearing. Badgers help to control rodent populations. Old honey badger teeth are badly worn and these individuals are … In captivity a Honey Badger can live for up to twenty six years, in the wild it is unknown. The braincase is wider than the dog’s one. Badger photo by Tim Knight . 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