The Honey Badger Trivia Quiz

Answer: Brazil

Honey badgers are found in the continuous area starting from the southern region of Africa, through the Middle East, and up to the Indian subcontinent.

Their habitat varies in altitudes from sea-level up to 4,000 meters and in climates from arid and semi-arid (e.g. sub-Saharan Africa and Thar Desert of Gujarat, India) up to rain forests (e.g. Zaire).

For all this, and more, the honey badger receives the Country badge.

Answer: Ratel

Ratel comes from Afrikaans (for pronouciation and further info: http://mw1.m-w.com/dictionary/ratel). In honour of the fierce animal, "Ratel" is the nickname chosen by the South African army for its common IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle).

The taxonomical name of the honey badger is Mellivora capensis which translates to "honey eater of the cape" (i.e. the Cape of Good Hope).

In Hebrew "dvash" is "honey" (and "girit dvash" is "honey badger") and "parpar" is "butterfly", whereas "monsouk" is a random invention.

For all this, and more, the honey badger receives the Word Wizard badge.

Answer: True

The honey badger is not closely related either to other members of its family, or to other badger species. The sub-family Mellivorinae ("honey eaters") is dedicated to it, as its name suggests.

Moreover, the honey badger is widely considered a singular species in its own sub-family. Most zoologists agree that alleged honey badger sub-species are mere pelage variations and should not be classified as independent sub-species.

For all this, and more, the honey badger receives the Best In Class badge.

Answer: Big external ears

In fact, the honey badger does not have visible ears at all.

It does have long, hard claws as well as a blunt snout which enable extensive digging through variable media as well as thick skin which defends it from bee stings, snake bites and canine bites. Its skin and fur are also slick, making it harder to cling to for a potential predator.

For all this, and more, the honey badger receives the Hardcore Winner badge.

Answer: All of these

The example cited most often, although not scientifically proven yet, is that of the greater honeyguide (Indicator indicator). The honeyguide is said to signal the location of the honeycomb to the honey badger, later enjoying leftover beeswax.

The most solid example is that of the pale chanting goshawk (Melierax canorus) which accompany honey badgers as they dig into burrows and gather escaping lizards or small rodents (being too fast for the honey badger to catch). The honey badger does not seem to either gain or lose from the presence of this companion.

The spotted eagle-owl (Bubo africanus) was also observed imitating the abovementioned behaviour of the pale chanting goshawk.

For all this, and more, the honey badger receives the Team Player badge.

Answer: True

In the documentary "Land of the Tiger" shot by the BBC in Ranthambhore National Park (Rajasthan, India), a honey badger is seen rolling a few logs then standing on one to reach a kingfisher fledgling stranded on a tree branch (see timestamps 31:15 to 35:15 in http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6222574655784103864&q=land+of+the+tiger&total=271&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1). Terrific, or maybe horrific, stuff.

It is also said that honey badgers capture ground squirrels by plugging the openings of their tunnels with stones and catch them as they exit through a single opening left free.

Honey badgers were also recorded caching spare food.

For all this, and more, the honey badger receives the I'm The Smartest badge.

Answer: It will confront all of these

The honey badger is fearless and relentless in its efforts to acquire food, and will virtually stop at nothing. No wonder it has been crowned "the most fearless animal in the world" in the Guinness Book of Records (2002).

An amazing snippet from the National Geographic special "Honey Badgers of the Kalahari" shows a honey badger killing a puff adder after being bit by it. It then collapses for a few hours, recuperates and resumes to consume the dead adder (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c81bcjyfn6U).

In one of the episodes of "The Velvet Claw" (BBC) a honey badger is seen attacking a leopard and separating it from its kill.

For all this, and more, the honey badger receives both the Knockout Hero the Endurance badges.

Answer: Average lifespan is 35 years

An honey badger lives six to eight years in the wild. Extreme cases in captivity reached as many as 24 years.

The male is bigger than the female by an average portion of a third to a half.

Two cubs are delivered in a minute percentage of honey badger litters.

Direct human threats to honey badgers are beekeepers and poultry farmers. Other than man, it is a rare occasion to see a honey badger killed by another animal (lions, leopards and pythons may kill very old or very young specimens).

For all this, and more, the honey badger receives the Fun Facts badge.

Answer: True

This protein buster can make a fine Atkins diet instructor, usually leaving the sticky carbohydrates aside.

The honey badger's prey and diet also include beetles, scorpions, lizards, rodents, birds, small crocodiles, pythons, adders and cobras. It will not say no to juvenile foxes, jackals and antelopes. Less often, it will scavenge from larger prey of other mammals.

For all this, and more, the honey badger receives the Buzzy Bee Scavenger badge.

Answer: Iraq

In Basra, Iraq, rumours started rolling of monstrous creatures attacking humans and livestock. Dead specimens brought by local farmers to veterinary clinics confirmed that these were honey badgers. It was also claimed that they were deliberately released by the UK army stationed there since 2003. The probable explanation to all this is that the honey badger population in the region increased due to recent re-flooding of a marsh area north of Basra.

For all this, and more, the honey badger receives the Monsterific! badge.

This quiz is dedicated to my daughter Ya'ara, whose name means either honeycomb or honeysuckle in Hebrew, on her second birthday. Thank you for playing!