Honey badger

The honey badger (Mellivora capensis), also known as the ratel (/ˈreɪtəl/ or /ˈrɑːtəl/), is the only species in the mustelid subfamily Mellivorinae and its only genus Mellivora. It is native to Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Despite its name, the honey badger does not closely resemble other badger species; instead, it bears more anatomical similarities to weasels. It is classed as Least Concern by the IUCN owing to its extensive range and general environmental adaptations. It is primarily a carnivorous species and has few natural predators because of its thick skin and ferocious defensive abilities.

Etymology

Ratel is an Afrikaans word, possibly derived from the Middle Dutch word raat for honeycomb (either because of its cry or its taste for honey).

Taxonomy

The honey badger is the only species of the genus Mellivora. Although in the 1860s it was assigned to the badger subfamily, the Melinae, it is now generally agreed that it bears very few similarities to the Melinae. It is much more closely related to the marten subfamily, Mustelinae, but furthermore is assigned its own subfamily, Mellivorinae. Differences between Mellivorinae and Melinae include differences in their dentition formulae. Though not in the same subfamily as the wolverines, which are a genus of large-sized and atypical Mustelinae, the honey badger can be regarded as another, analogous, form of outsized weasel or polecat.

Ratel (disambiguation)

Ratel is a small mammal (Mellivora capensis), also known as a Honey Badger

Ratel may also refer to:

Ratel IFV

The Ratel is the basic infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) of the South African National Defence Force's mechanized infantry battalions. Ratel is the Afrikaans name for the honey badger, which has a reputation as a ferocious fighter.

History

Circa 1970, the South African Defence Force identified the need for an infantry combat vehicle (ICV) in accordance with requirements for its relatively new doctrine of mobile warfare. The resultant product was the Ratel Infantry Combat Vehicle that, contrary to some views, was a totally new requirement and not a replacement for the Alvis Saracen. In fact, the Saracens were retained in their original roles for some years after Ratel entered service and even underwent an upgrade (Project Fellies) before they were eventually retired.

The 6x6 Ratel was engineered largely from a prototype furbished by a local subsidiary of Büssing. A number of other foreign designs, including the Panhard M3, EE-11 Urutu, Berliet VXB-170, and Thyssen Henschel UR-416, were also evaluated for the programme. Development commenced in 1971, with General Magnus Malan reporting to parliament three years later that the Ratel had been "successfully industrialised". Mass production of a base Ratel-20 chassis peaked in 1976, and the vehicle entered combat deployment in 1977. Other variants, including the improved Mark II and Mark III versions of the basic Ratel, were phased in throughout the 1980s. Mark I vehicles were upgraded to Mark II and III standard during refits. Over a thousand Ratel vehicles have been manufactured.