🦡 Honey badger vs Raccoon 🦝
The raccoon is a bit bigger than the honey badger. The raccoon is a bit heavier than the honey badger.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦡 Honey badger | 🦝 Raccoon |
|---|---|---|
| Size The raccoon is a bit bigger than the honey badger. | 24 to 28 in60 to 70 cm1 | 24 in to 3.1 ft60 to 95 cm2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The raccoon is a bit heavier than the honey badger. | 18 to 26 lb8 to 12 kg1 | 15 to 40 lb6.8 to 18 kg2 |
| Lives The honey badger usually lives about 3 times as long as the raccoon. | 7 to 8 years7 to 8 years1 | 1.8 to 3.1 years1.8 to 3.1 years3 |
| Eats Both eat plants and animals. | eggs, small rodents, snakes, birds and frogs | fruit, nuts, eggs, frogs, crayfish and insects |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | forests, grassland, rocky hills and deserts across most of Africa south of the Sahara and on the Arabian Peninsula | woods, streams and towns across North America |
Which one? Honey badger or raccoon
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the honey badger or the raccoon yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed.
10 things to know about Honey badger vs Raccoon
- The honey badger: A short, strong animal from Africa and Asia that eats eggs, snakes and more.
- The raccoon: A raccoon feels its food with sensitive hands, often dunking it in water.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are mammals.
- The raccoon is a bit bigger than the honey badger: 2 against 1.
- The raccoon is a bit heavier than the honey badger. That is 1 for the honey badger and 2 for the raccoon.
- The honey badger usually lives about 3 times as long as the raccoon. Usual lifespans: 1 for the honey badger and 3 for the raccoon.
- Both eat plants and animals. The honey badger eats eggs, small rodents, snakes, birds and frogs; the raccoon eats fruit, nuts, eggs, frogs, crayfish and insects.
- The honey badger lives in forests, grassland, rocky hills and deserts across most of Africa south of the Sahara and on the Arabian Peninsula. The raccoon lives in woods, streams and towns across North America. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The honey badger: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
- The raccoon: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 5
Wow facts
🦡 Honey badger
- A honey badger lives in forests, grassland and deserts.
- A male can walk a long way in one day looking for food.
- It eats eggs, small rodents, snakes, birds and frogs.
🦝 Raccoon
- A raccoon's back feet turn around so it can climb down a tree headfirst.
- Raccoon paws are most sensitive when they are wet.
- Raccoons are good at solving puzzles, such as opening latches.
Questions kids ask about Honey badger and Raccoon
Which is bigger, honey badger or raccoon?
The raccoon is a bit bigger than the honey badger: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, honey badger or raccoon?
The raccoon is a bit heavier than the honey badger. That is 1 for the honey badger and 2 for the raccoon.
Which lives longer, honey badger or raccoon?
The honey badger usually lives about 3 times as long as the raccoon. Usual lifespans: 1 for the honey badger and 3 for the raccoon.
What do honey badger and raccoon eat?
Both eat plants and animals. The honey badger eats eggs, small rodents, snakes, birds and frogs; the raccoon eats fruit, nuts, eggs, frogs, crayfish and insects.
Where do honey badger and raccoon live?
The honey badger lives in forests, grassland, rocky hills and deserts across most of Africa south of the Sahara and on the Arabian Peninsula. The raccoon lives in woods, streams and towns across North America. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, honey badger or raccoon?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/honey-badger-vs-raccoon
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Mellivora capensis (honey badger), checked 10 November 2026.
- National Park Service (raccoon quick facts), checked 30 October 2026.
- USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.