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A ratel, also known as a "Honey Badger," is a member of the weasel family that makes its home in the forested regions of Asia and Africa. Named for its love of honey, the ratel is a fierce fighter, more than capable of defending itself from cobras, cattle, and bison.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Ratels are badger like in appearence and behavior. Adults stand 10-12 inches at the shoulder and have a heavy, muscular build. Their bodies are thick skinned, approximately 24-30 inches long, and can weigh up to 29 pounds. The ratel has short legs, stout claws, a short, bushy tail, and teeth similar to their closely related cousin, the wolverine.
Ratels have distinct, unique markings. The back, head and neck areas of covered by coarse, white fur, and the face, legs, belly and short tail are solid black. This gives the ratel a skunk-like appearance. Also like the skunk, ratels are able to emit a foul-smelling liquid to keep them safe from harm.
The thick, loose quality of the ratel's coat and skin helps to keep the ratel out of harm's way in the wild. The ratel's skin is unusually tough and attached so loosely to the body, other animals aren't able to penetrate it or grab on to it. This quality guards against snake bites, insect stings, and porcupine quills, making ratels one of the few mammals of the world to have no natural enemies.
BEHAVIOR
Ratels live in burrows dug with their muscular, clawed feet. They are strong burrowers and climbers, relying on both skills to catch prey and survive in their natural environment.
Ratels travel singly or in pairs. Though not many true field studies have been completed on the ratel badger, evidence suggests that they form monogamous pairs for mating purposes, and produce a litter of two cubs, 6-7 months after mating. Young ratels are born in burrows lined with leaves or grass, and stay with the mother until they are old enough to fend for themselves.
Ratels are strong, fearless fighters. They have been known to attack much larger animals, like horses, cattle, buffalo and antelope. In captivity, however, ratels are easily trained and transformed into tame and playful animals.
Nocturnal by nature, ratels emerge from their burrows at night to scour for food. They most often feed on rodents, reptiles, bees, ants, termites, mammals, fruits and berries. The favored food of the ratel is honey, which they often acquire using teamwork.
HONEY GUIDES
Well known for their love of honey, ratels are often led to bees' nests by a variety of birds known as "honey guides." About a dozen different species of birds work in conjunction with the ratel in a unique array of behaviours. The bird will find an active bees' nest and then locate a ratel within the vicinity. Using chatty, throaty call, the bird flies overhead, directing the ratel to the nest. The much larger ratel takes the honey, leaving the wax and bee larvae behind for the bird.
LIFESTYLE
Ratels can live under almost any environmental circumstances, including wet and dry conditions, elevations up to 1 mile, and rain forest areas. They are most often found in regions south of the Sahara, with the exception of desert and lowland rain forest areas, and also exist in most of West Africa. In recent years, ratels have been trained as pets and added to many zoos.
TODAY
Ratels exist peacefully in their natural environment and as pets. Due to their fierce style of defense and natural, protective skins, they are rarely hunted, and continue to thrive.
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