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honey badger
honey badger or ratel , carnivore, Mellivora capensis, of the forest and brush country of Africa, the Middle East, and India; it is a member of the badger and skunk family. Related to the wolverine and martens, as shown by the resemblance in teeth, the honey badger resembles in fossorial form and perhaps in its fierce disposition the true badgers. The honey badger has short legs and stout claws and is a strong burrower and a good climber. About 2 ft (61 cm) long excluding the tail, it has a coat that is black on the lower half of the body and pale gray above. The honey badger resembles its distant relative the skunk in coloration and in the possession of an anal scent gland. It is nocturnal, feeds on rodents, reptiles, and insects, and has a thick loose coat that protects it against snake bites and insect stings. The honey badger collaborates with the honeyguide , or indicator bird, in obtaining honey, a favorite food. The bird searches for a bee colony, and when one is found, the honey badger rips it open. The bird and the honey badger then share the honey. Honey badgers travel singly or in pairs. The young, usually two, are born in burrows. Honey badgers are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, family Mustelidae.
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"honey badger." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "honey badger." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-honeybad.html "honey badger." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-honeybad.html |
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honey badger
honey badger (ratel, Mellivora capensis) See MUSTELIDAE.
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Cite this article
MICHAEL ALLABY. "honey badger." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "honey badger." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-honeybadger.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "honey badger." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-honeybadger.html |
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ratel
ratel (honey badger, Mellivora capensis) See MUSTELIDAE.
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Cite this article
MICHAEL ALLABY. "ratel." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "ratel." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-ratel.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "ratel." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-ratel.html |
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ratel
ratel : see honey badger . |
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Cite this article
"ratel." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "ratel." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-ratel.html "ratel." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-ratel.html |
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ratel
ratel •battle, cattle, chattel, embattle, prattle, rattle, Seattle, tattle
•fractal
•cantle, covenantal, mantel, mantle, Prandtl
•pastel • Fremantle • tittle-tattle
•startle, stratal
•Nahuatl
•fettle, kettle, metal, mettle, nettle, petal, Popocatépetl, settle
•dialectal, rectal
•dental, gentle, mental, Oriental, parental, rental
•transeptal
•festal, vestal
•gunmetal
•antenatal, fatal, hiatal, natal, neonatal, ratel
•beetle, betel, chital, decretal, fetal
•blackbeetle
•acquittal, belittle, brittle, committal, embrittle, it'll, kittle, little, remittal, skittle, spittle, tittle, victual, whittle
•edictal, rictal
•lintel, pintle, quintal
•Bristol, Chrystal, crystal, pistol
•varietal • coital • phenobarbital
•orbital • pedestal • sagittal • vegetal
•digital • skeletal • Doolittle
•congenital, genital, primogenital, urogenital
•capital • lickspittle • hospital • marital
•entitle, mistitle, recital, requital, title, vital
•subtitle • surtitle
•axolotl, bottle, dottle, glottal, mottle, pottle, throttle, wattle
•fontal, horizontal
•hostel, intercostal, Pentecostal
•greenbottle • bluebottle • Aristotle
•chortle, immortal, mortal, portal
•Borstal
•anecdotal, sacerdotal, teetotal, total
•coastal, postal
•subtotal
•brutal, footle, pootle, refutal, rootle, tootle
•buttle, cuttle, rebuttal, scuttle, shuttle, subtle, surrebuttal
•buntal, contrapuntal, frontal
•crustal • societal • pivotal
•hurtle, kirtle, myrtle, turtle
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Cite this article
"ratel." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "ratel." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-ratel.html "ratel." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-ratel.html |
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