FROM human’s point of view, one may be regarded as a notorious character when you become rude or badly behave yourself by doing wicked things to your friends or relatives.
In the savannah from their own
perspective, among societies of honey badger and polecats being rude
with wicked acts is a good sign of great courage in an environment which
allow the winner to take its all including bulling others to death.
From the pre historical time the
savannah is governed by a strong principle of survival for those are fit
and death to the animals which are very weak, along the grassland of
Africa weakness is defined as inability to defend your family or
resources against powerful enemies such as lion, leopard, cheetah or
spotted hyena.
From the sunrise in Kisiju fishing
village along the coast through midday in Chipogoro farming village of
Dodoma to the sunset at Ujiji on the shore of Lake Tanganyika people
recite stories about a mysterious small mammals which are said to have
special interest of chopping and runaway with male private parts.
With a small body weighing between 6 and
12 kilograms the honey badger is fearless animal which is capable to
stand confidently to fight a lion with more than 180 kilograms and
despite of its name, the honey badger does not closely resemble other
badger species instead, it bears more anatomical similarities to
weasels.
From Ndumbi village in the shores of
lake Nyasa to Zepisa near Hombolo dam, people link the Polecat with
thieves who steal other people’s food in kitchen while the owner is not
at home, in big cities they are condemned as thieves who steal other
people’s mobile phones while struggling to board commuter buses and in
Dar es salaam they are treated as prostitutes who go after men’s wallets
in streets at night or naughty children who disturb their parents who
are taking care of them.
From their side zoologists suggest that
it was during the Pliocene when ancestors of modern honey badger
developed heavy coat which protected them against a terrifying cold
situation. In the modern time, the honey badger has a fairly long body,
but is distinctly thick set and broad across the back.
Its skin is remarkably loose, and allows
it to turn and twist freely within it. The skin around the neck is 6
millimeters thick, this is an adaptation to fighting courageously with
big predators such as lion, leopard, cheetah and hyena which together
they live competitively in the savannah.
From those old days the honey badger
developed special long fur measuring between 40 to 50 millimeters to
protect them against harsh cold condition of winter. This adaptability
enabled their body to be covered with, bristle like hairs which shorten
during hot situation leaving its belly almost bare to enable the body to
release temperature.
The head of a honey badger is very is
small and flat with a short muzzle, its eyes are small while the ears
are little more than ridges on the skin which is another possible
adaptation to avoiding damage while fighting.
Meanwhile the polecat is a small mammal
from a family of Weasels whose other members are Otter but unlike its
relatives, the stripped polecat has a small head marked with three white
dots on black hair, a slender body measuring from 57 to 67cm and stands
10 to 15 centimeters high and weigh 1.4 kilogram.
This mammal is covered by very long coat
hair characterized with black and white stripes on its back and a bushy
tail which is used during a playful moments when the animal enjoys a
hide and seek game by playing with a prey for 45 munities before eating.
Female polecats with their cubs stay
together in burrows which may go down 4 meters deep with several
entrances covered with leaves and other vegetations but males stay away
about 4.5 km leading solitary life while waiting for the breading season
which starts from July to December when they may pay a visit their
families.
Scientists say the honey badger was
created as fighter because its skull is very solidly built, with that of
adults having no trace of an independent bone structure while their
braincase is broader than that of dogs.
Honey badgers live alone in holes which
each individual dug, this is because these small mammals are skilled
diggers and able to dig tunnels into hard ground in 10 minutes, these
burrows usually only have one passage and a nesting chamber and are
usually measure from 1 to 3 meters long. Zoologists say sometimes due to
their fearless habit, honey badger invade other animals burrows as they
force out occupants such as aardvark, warthog and hyenas.
Differently from what some people say
about them, once a female polecat is impregnated she will refuse with
sporadic fight any attempt by other males to mount her and with all her
energy she will protect the pregnancy throughout the 36 to 40 days of
gestation period when one to six cubs are borne. Female Polecats are
very clever mother capable of studying geographical and weather
situation of their environment to decide if it’s favorable for bearing
cubs.
When the availability of food is not
sustainable they may apply a special mechanism which helps few mammals
to delay implantation of fertilized ovaries into uterus but maintained
in a dormancy state while extending the gestation period until situation
allow proper development of the embryo.
On her own the female Polecat will rise
her cubs without a single help from their father until their eyes are
opened when they are 38 to 40 days old and weaned on their 50th day as
they start to go out with their mother to learn skills and principals of
the jungle for a month when male may decide to go out and start his own
life while female will stick with its mother to learn how to take care
her own cubs in future.
On their side, honey badgers are
intelligent animals and are one of a few species known to be capable of
using tools, they are known to use tools and other means to get into
place where food is available.
Despite of their small size body, honey
badgers are known for being notorious with strength, ferocity and
toughness against almost everyone in the savannah, from time in history
they are known to stand fearlessly to attack almost any kind of attacker
when escape is impossible.
Thanks to the Almighty God who gave the
honey badger a tough skin which is capable of resisting sharp claws of
lions, porcupine quills and bee stings, they are virtually tireless in
combat and can wear out much larger animals in physical confrontations
while making a terrifying sound. With this ability in its mind, the
honey badger is known of having unusual ability to fight fend off big
animals such as lion, buffaloes and pythons.
Due to their powerful jaws, honey
badgers are known to kill and eat snakes, even highly venomous or large
ones such as cobras, they have been known to kill black mamba which is
regarded as deadliest snake of African savannah.
Honey badger are have special eating
ability, they are known to devour all parts of their prey, including
skin, hair, feathers, flesh and bones, holding their food down with
their forepaws and when seeking alternative meals such as vegetable for
food, they may lift stones or tear bark from trees.
Honey badgers are known to stand firmly
against attacks from a group of people, because of the toughness and
looseness of their skin, honey badgers is very difficult to kill with
dogs.
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