Meet the honey badger. It is a digger from Africa and Asia. It has long, strong claws on its front feet.
A honey badger is mostly black, with a wide gray-white stripe along its back. It belongs to the weasel family, along with skunks, otters and other badgers.
It lives in Africa and in parts of Asia, in many kinds of places, from rain forests to deserts.
An adult weighs about 8 to 12 kilograms, which is 17 to 26 pounds. Its body is about 60 to 70 centimeters long, or 23 to 28 inches. Males are bigger than females. In one field guide, males weigh 8.0 to 11.2 kilograms. Females weigh 5.2 to 7.1 kilograms.
Reports say a honey badger's skin is about 6 millimeters thick near the throat, as of November 2026. The skin is also loose. When something grabs a honey badger, the skin lets it wriggle free.
A honey badger may walk about 10 to 27 kilometers, or 6 to 17 miles, in a day looking for food. It might look by day or by night. It eats honey, bee grubs and insects. It also eats snakes, birds, rodents and eggs. Fruit, roots and bulbs are on its menu too.
To reach its food, a honey badger digs. It can close its ears to keep dirt out. It digs for insect larvae and the nests of bees.
A honey badger can dig its own burrow. It can also take over a burrow that an aardvark, fox or mongoose used. It sleeps in burrows and other hiding places, curled up in a ball.
People also call the honey badger the ratel. Most honey badgers live alone.
A mother usually has just one cub at a time. She digs a nursery chamber and lines it with grass for her cub. She raises it in a burrow, with no help from other adults.
Words to know
- burrow: hole home
- weasel: slim animal
- larvae: baby insects
- chamber: a small room
- rodents: mice and rats
The short version
The honey badger lives in Africa and in parts of Asia. It is mostly black, with a wide gray-white stripe along its back, and an adult weighs about 8 to 12 kilograms. It eats honey, bee grubs, insects, snakes, birds, rodents and eggs, and it digs with long, strong claws on its front feet.
Quick facts
- An adult honey badger weighs about 8 to 12 kilograms (17 to 26 pounds).
- A honey badger's body is about 60 to 70 centimeters long (23 to 28 inches).
- A honey badger may walk about 10 to 27 kilometers (6 to 17 miles) in a day looking for food.
- A mother digs a nursery chamber and lines it with grass for her cub.
- It is also called the ratel and belongs to the weasel family.
What does a honey badger eat?
Honey badgers eat honey and bee grubs, and they eat insects too. They also eat snakes, birds, rodents and eggs, along with fruit, roots and bulbs. They dig for food such as insect larvae and the nests of bees.
Where does a honey badger sleep?
Honey badgers sleep in burrows and other hiding places, curled up in a ball. A honey badger can dig its own burrow, or take over a burrow that an aardvark, fox or mongoose used.
How big is a honey badger?
An adult honey badger weighs about 8 to 12 kilograms (17 to 26 pounds), and its body is about 60 to 70 centimeters long (23 to 28 inches). Male honey badgers are bigger than females.
