The ratel is reported to have the courage of a lion. The small, stocky animal has a fondness for honey that accounts for its second name, honey badger.
Muscular and compact, the ratel has a thick skull, a well-developed neck and shoulders and strong forelegs armed with massive claws for digging. The striking pattern of black lower body and white upper body fur extends to the tail. It has internal ears which can be closed to keep out dirt while digging.
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Ratels can tolerate both very wet and very dry habitats. They can be found in moist savannas, semi-deserts and montane forests.
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Little is known about the ratel's social life. They are generally solitary but sometimes go about in pairs, wandering widely. They regularly and liberally apply scent markings to crevices, holes and the base of trees. In uninhabited areas the ratel is diurnal, but in areas near human habitation, it lives an almost entirely nocturnal life.
One to four young are born in a chamber or burrow lined with grass or leaves. The young probably remain close to the home burrow for a long time, as sightings of adults with small young are rare.
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A successful hunter, scavenger and forager, the ratel eats a variety of foods including the young of large mammals, rodents of all sizes, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, fruit and carrion.
The ratel also has a fondness for honey that accounts for its second name, “honey badger.” It has developed an interesting relationship with a small birds called a honeyguides. This bird alerts the ratel by calling repeatedly and the ratel follows, answering its calls with guttural growls until a hive is reached. The ratel then emits smelly, suffocating secretions from its anal glands to fumigate the hive, causing most of the bees to flee, and stunning or killing those that remain inside. The ratel bites or claws into the nest and scoops out the honeycomb. When the ratel leaves, the bird eats the remaining dead bees, grubs and pieces of honeycomb.
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Ratels are typically not preyed upon and their thick skin is said to be impervious to snake bites. However, they do face increasingly hostile competition from man. The old-fashioned honey hunter had a grudging respect for them, but modern beekeepers are not prepared to lose large amounts of their produce to them. Ratels are increasingly poisoned, trapped, snared, shot and speared.
Did You Know?
- The ratel does not have external ears. Rather, the ear is enclosed in the skin, with an opening that can be closed to keep out dirt when the ratel is digging.
- Its thick skin and coarse, bristly hair offer protection from bee stings, but the ratel is not impervious to them. Stings may account for some ratel deaths.
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