Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Family Mustelidae
Subfamily Mellivorinae
Species Mellivora capensis
Ratel is the Afrikaans word for what we English speakers have more traditionally called a honey badger. They live throughout Africa and in parts of South Asia, India and the Middle East. They are members of the weasel family. Although ratels and badgers are closely related, ratels are not actually a type of badger.
Ratels have dark gray fur on their backs and black fur on their bellies, which is the opposite of most mammals. This makes them look somewhat like a cross between a skunk and a weasel. They eat stuff like frogs, insects, snakes, bee larva, and of course, honey.
Ratels are protected from bee stings by a layer of fat. They also have a uncanny ability to survive snake bites that would be deadly to most creatures. They may become paralyzed for hours, but will eventually recover and go on their way unfazed. This is necessary because they hunt and eat some of the most poisonous African snakes, such as the puff adder.
They get to be up to about 25 pounds (11 kilograms), and are about a foot long, with a bushy, flexible tail adding another foot in length. They are nocturnal, and live solitarily or in pairs. They are vicious fighters, and do attack animals larger than themselves, potentially including humans, although this is not common.