7 Difference Between Badger and Honey Badger (With Table)

Jul 3, 2023 · 4 min read ·

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Badger and honey badger come from the Mustelidae family. They are carnivores and are found in almost all types of terrestrial habitats. The members of this family can also live in freshwater habitats as well as salty water habitats.

The main difference between badgers and honey badgers is that badgers do not have yellowish-brown fur on the upper side of their body while honey badgers have distinctive yellowish-brown fur on the upper side of their bodies.

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Comparison Table (Badger vs honey Badger)

Characteristics	Badger	Honey Badger
Geographical location	They are found in many regions including Africa, the Middle East, Eurasia, and America.	Only found in Southern Africa, the Middle East, Southern Russia, and far East India Nepal.
Diet	Most species are carnivores.	They are mostly omnivores.
Ears	Their ears are visible.	They have tiny ears almost invisible.
Fur	They do not have distinctive yellowish-brown fur on the upper side of their bodies.	They have yellowish-brown fur on the upper side of their bodies.
Head	They have long heads.	They have a small head.
Snout	They have a long snout.	They have a short snout.
Claws	They do not have more prominent sharp claws.	They have more prominent sharp claws.

What is Badger?

There are six main species of the badger which are all found in the family Mustelidae. They have fat bodies with short legs, which are well equipped with larger claws for digging. Their lower jaw is articulated with the upper jaw which minimizes the movement of the jaws and makes them not be dislocated.

They live in burrows called cetes which may consist of 2-15 individuals. The Eurasian badgers are the largest species among the badgers. They are regarded as pets in many countries. They are mainly hunted for their skin.

They are nocturnal animals. They are active at night in order for them to hunt their prey. Some species prefer solitary lives while others prefer communal lives. Solitary species are more aggressive than communal species.

What is Honey Badger?

Honey badgers are mainly found in South Africa. Although they are also distributed in other parts of the world. They are fearless animals but they have powerful bites. They have a very powerful sense of smell which enables them to locate small animals and insects. They feed on both animals and plants hence sometimes they are referred to as omnivores.

Their name honey badgers come from the way they find beehives with the help of a bird called honeyguide. The birds help the honey badger to find the beehives and the honey badger allows the bird to eat the honey once the beehive is broken by the honey badger.

They live in holes. Their lives are solitary, and this is contributed by the low birth rate. They are extremely vulnerable to predators, hunters, and habitat destruction. They are nocturnal animals hence they are active at night.

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Main Differences between Badger and Honey Badger

Badgers are mainly carnivores while honey badgers are omnivores.

Badgers have tiny ears that are visible while honey badgers have very tiny ears that may not be visible.

Badgers do not have distinctive yellowish-brown fur on their upper side of their bodies while honey badgers have distinctive yellowish-brown fur on their upper side of their bodies.

Badgers have longer heads while honey badgers have small heads.

Badgers have long snouts while honey badgers have short snouts.

Similarities between Badger and Honey Badger

They both belong to the same family Mustelidae.

They are both nocturnal animals.

They are sometimes both carnivores.

They both live in burrows.

In Conclusion

Both badgers and honey badgers belong to the same family Mustelidae. They are found in various parts of the world. Badgers are found in Africa, the Middle East, Eurasia, and America while honey badgers are mainly found in Southern Africa although they are also found in other parts such as the Middle East, Southern Russia, and far East India Nepal. The main feature that makes badgers different from honey badgers is fur.

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