Mellivora capensis 

Is this a “Stay out of my way” kind of day?
You’ve had it.
No more messing around.
No hesitating.
No doubt.
No fear.
You’ve made up your mind.
There’s no stopping you now.
In other words, it’s on!

The Honey Badger, aka Ratel, is considered by many to be the most fearless animal on the planet.  At first glance, she’s not that big a deal, but when this tenacious creature wants something, she usually gets it!  A general carnivore, she fuels up on most anything she can get her claws on: scorpions, lizards, rodents, birds…but then also extremely poisonous snakes like the adder, cobra and black mamba.  She’ll even take down teenage foxes, jackals and wild cats.  Predators such as the lion and leopard will make a meal of her when they can, but she puts up quite the fight and can sometimes save herself from these stronger competitors.  Watch a video of her in action on the web!

The Honey Badger gets her name from her love for bee brood (larvae).  Another example of her fearlessness, she’ll face the fury of the hive to get these goodies.  However, these yummy treats put her at odds with beekeepers, who lose money from her naughty ways.  In 2002, conservation groups began the “Badger-Friendly Initiative”—a program to help beekeepers learn how to humanely protect their apiaries.
Great strides were made, but the Honey Badger is still a species in danger of becoming endangered.  To learn more about this animal athlete, go to www.honeybadger.com.