Honey badgers of the Kalahari

[Fuscus]

TV program on ABC on Honey Badgers. It appears that a large part of their diet is snakes, opening sequence was a badger capturing and killing a cobra. Later on one steals prey from a puff adder, eats the rodent then attacks the snake. Though the snake was killed it did tag the badger, who passed out for about two hours then recovered and then finished off the meal.

 

[instar]

i jiust watched it, awesome. wonder the cobras didnt tag the badgers though. wonder why the puff adder didnt kill it?

 

[regenold]

how dangerous are puff adders?

 

[africancichlidau]

wonder why the puff adder didnt kill it?

Cos he liked him

 

[Hickson]

Yeah,
Honey badgers are really awesome little things. Unless you're food, they'll leave you alone. But do anything to urinate them off and they will attack with a savagery that is frightening. The Africans say that they can kill Cape Buffalos by running under them, jumping up and biting off the buffalos testicles. The buffalo then bleeds to death.

There are also reports of ratels getting caught in leg traps, the steel jaw kind, and they just destroy the trap before leaving.

Most people and animals in Africa know not to upset them.

Hix

 

[instar]

lethal if they invenomate you, some antivenom avail but far between apparently. most bites are from stepping on them, they are an ambush pred, sit and wate camoflaged.

 

[instar]

probly depends how much venom they get in but. lucky badger.

 

[Hickson]

how dangerous are puff adders?

One of the deadliest snakes in Africa. And if you don't die from a bite, you end up with nasty scars for life.

But not if you're a Honey Badger.

Hix

 

[regenold]

does anyone have any pics of them? do they look anything like a rhinocerous viper?

 

[instar]

big wide head like most adders big fangs too i think, fat short bodies, good camo.

 

[instar]

http://members.tripod.com/~bitis666/#the puff adder scroll down for pic

 

[Hickson]

Not patterned the same, and don't have the horns. Similar body shape. Related to the Rhino and Gaboon (same genus).

Hix

 

[regenold]

thanks a bunch for that instar

 

[instar]

no wrorries, some good info that pg.

 

[regenold]

yeh it is. i wouldn't mind my own puff adder lolz

 

[instar]

bit scary but, can stike there body length i heard, fast too. ill stick with my harmless carpet snake. lol

 

[dobermanmick]

Try this page it is all about them http://www.honeybadger.com/

a bit about their imunity to venom from the link above
Honey badgers do appear to have some immunity to snake venoms. A honey badger bitten on the face by the highly cytotoxic pufadder showed signs of severe pain but recovered fully within five hours (Begg & Begg pers. obs.). This immunity may develop over the life time of the honey badgers due to regular contact with small amounts of venom in snakes, scorpions and bees. Young cubs are prevented from catching poisonous snakes by their mothers until they have the necessary skills and coordination. While honey badgers also appear to have some immunity to bee stings, they have been found stung to death in hives, particularly in commercial apiaries

 

[instar]

cool site, they kind of remind me of tazzie devils. big carny teeth too.

 

[NCHERPS]

I have kept puffadders before in the UK, they are awsome, get really big in girth and big wide heads.
They have one of the fastest strikes in the world.

 

[regenold]

does anyone know which snake has the fastest strike?