Honey Badger in a Hurry

Caption: Honey Badger moving with intent across exposed, open terrain, Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana © Scotch Macaskill

Camera: Canon EOS 450D; Lens: Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IS USM zoom; Focal Length: 300mm; Aperture: f/5.6; Shutter Speed: 1/2000; ISO: 1600

We initially came across this Honey Badger (Mellivora capensis) scurrying into the undergrowth with the skull and horns of an impala, the remains of an earlier leopard kill that it had scavenged.

Not long after, we were lucky to see it again, moving quickly across some open ground towards better cover (above).

Honey badgers are mainly nocturnal, so not often spotted during day-time game drives and this was the first time I'd seen one clearly enough to photograph.

Jet black in color, with a broad silvery gray saddle from just above the eyes to the tail, honey badgers are renowned to be aggressive and fearless. They're about a meter long in total, with adults weighing around 12 kg.

Their legs are short and stocky while the five digits on the front feet are armed with long, powerfully-built, sharp claws.

Honey badgers eat scorpions, mice, birds, reptiles, bee larvae, honey and, as we saw, they'll also scavenge left-overs.

While usually solitary, honey badgers are also quite often seen in pairs. Litters of one or two young are born in the summer months.

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