They may be radio-tracked via an internal transmitter implanted into the abdominal cavity. (Marie Hale, Flickr) ... And it's well equipped to do so. Meet BG, a resident of the Johannesburg Zoo in South Africa and quite possibly the world’s first tweeting honey badger in captivity: In captivity honey badgers can live up to 24 years but in the wild are only likely to live 7-8 years, may be less. Interestingly enough, these creatures can weigh up to thirty pounds and can be as long as three feet, personally I expected them to be much smaller. Honey badger cubs, or kits, are born with their eyes closed, hairless and with pink skin. Don’t panic, but there’s a honey badger following you …on Twitter. In contrast, honey badgers bred in captivity live significantly longer, with a maximum lifespan of 26 years. Fun fact! Size: total length:780 to 1020mmm head:25 to 155 mm body:500 to 640 mm : tail:160 to 230mm : shoulder height:230 to 300 mm: neck circumference:225 to 355 mm: Weight: male: 9.0 to 14.0 kg female:5.5 to 10.0 kg Diet Honey badgers are solitary and nomadic. The ratel / the honey badger – interesting facts. Lifetime: around 24 years in captivity; Ratel, the honey badger (Mellivora capensis). American badgers are solitary; European badgers are sociable. Honey badger, ratel, honey ratel. In South Africa, honey badgers are a specially protected species and a permit is required to capture or keep one in captivity. Honey badgers have been successfully immobilized with 5 mg/kg ketamine, 0.8 mg/kg phencyclidine, and 1 mg/kg xylazine (Bingham et al. More information: American Badger - Animal Diversity Web. The Guinness World Record book lists the Honey Badger as the most fearless animal. 1997; Harthoorn 1976). Despite their fierceness and fearlessness though, honey badgers still need our protection. The ratel is the biggest land weasel animal in Africa. Badgers are good at digging burrows. In general, they are omnivorous and creative opportunists, which can land them in trouble with humans. In captivity, the oldest honey badger lived 26 years 5 months (Nowak and Paradiso 1983). (Begg, et al., 2005a; Begg, et al., 2008; Rosevear, 1974) Typical lifespan Status: wild 7 to 8 years; Typical lifespan Status: captivity 24 to 26 years; Behavior. Badger photo by Tim Knight . Taxonomy: As many as 10 subspecies suggested, currently being revised. Old honey badger teeth are badly worn and these individuals are … Badgers have keen vision, scent, and hearing. In captivity a Honey Badger can live for up to twenty six years, in the wild it is unknown. How Long Honey Badger Can Live-In captivity honey badgers can live up to 24 years but in the wild are only likely to live 7-8 years, may be less. 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