FIELD GUIDE: MAMMALS

HONEY BADGER

 Scientific name: Mellivora capensis

Pylum: Chordata

Order:  Carnivora

Family: Mustelidae

Genus: Mellivora

Vulnerability: Least concern

The honey badger has a fairly long body, but is distinctly thick-set and broad across the back. Its skin is remarkably loose, and allows it to turn and twist freely within it.[16] The skin around the neck is 6 millimetres (0.24 in) thick, an adaptation to fighting conspecifics.The head is small and flat, with a short muzzle. The eyes are small, and the ears are little more than ridges on the skin, another possible adaptation to avoiding damage while fighting.

The honey badger has short and sturdy legs, with five toes on each foot. The feet are armed with very strong claws, which are short on the hind legs and remarkably long on the forelimbs. It is a partially plantigrade animal whose soles are thickly padded and naked up to the wrists. The tail is short and is covered in long hairs, save for below the base.