The Year of the Honey Badger?

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2 min read

One of the year’s top viral videos features hilariously narrated video footage of running, burrowing, and foraging honey badgers. To date, more than 27 million people have watched the unstoppable honey badger‘s antics. (Warning: graphic language and images NSFW.) Louisiana State University cornerback Tyrann Mathieu was subsequently dubbed the “Honey Badger” because of his scrappy, aggressive play this season.

Just who is the honey badger and why don’t he care? Read on to learn more about this cunning and resourceful member of the weasel family:

© Lukas Blazek | Dreamstime.com
  • The honey badger is one of many species known to use tools. A honey badger  was observed rolling a log to a cave entrance in order to stand on the log and catch a bird.
  • Honey badger cubs are born in a den dug by their mother. Mothers move their cubs to a new burrow every two to five days and care for their cubs for 14 months, teaching them to hunt, dig, and climb.
  • A bird known as a “honey guide” sings to honey badgers to lead them to beehives. The honey badger breaks open the hive and both animals enjoy the spoils.
  • The honey badger is the world’s most fearless animal, according to Guinness World Records. This is not surprising, considering that honey badgers are known to take food away from leopards and lions.
  • Although honey badgers only weigh up to 35 pounds, they can apparently survive the amount of snakebite venom that would kill an elephant.
  • Are you as tenacious and motivated as a honey badger? Put all that energy to work by contacting PETA’s Action Team and get started defending animals today.

Written by Monica Alexander

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