Honey Badger Vs Porcupine: Fearless Predator & Spiky Defender

Honey badgers and porcupines are very well-known animals and many special things are specifically attached to these animals. Both are aggressive and ferocious animals and fight very bitterly whenever they encounter each other. In this article, we are going to compare honey badger vs porcupine by looking at their various features. We would also let you know what would happen if these animals encounter each other.

Let me give you a brief introduction about these animals before indulging deeper into this comparison.

Honey badger-(Mellivora Capensis)

Honey badger or ratel belongs to the mustelid family and resides mainly in Africa, Middle-east, and the Indian region. These animals don’t have any special resemblance with other badger species. They are highly adaptable and not considered endangered according to the International union for conservation (IUCN) of nature.

Honey badgers are carnivores and have very few natural predators due to their vicious, aggressive nature and extremely thick but flexible skin. They have very small, eyes, ears, and heads and also very short but sturdy legs. The feet have also been combined with very sharp claws and there is a very strong jaw which is highly useful when they are under any attack.

The tail of the honey badger is very short but the body is fully covered with black and white fur. Honey badgers are small in height, length, and other body parts but are capable of doing very hard and dangerous things.

Porcupine-(Hystrix cristata)

The crested porcupine is a rodent specie that belongs to the Hystricidae family. They mainly reside in Italy, Sub-saharan Africa, and Nothern Africa. They are 24 to 33 inches long and weigh anywhere around 30 to 60 pounds. The entire body of a porcupine is covered with bristles and is black and brown in color coarse.

It is easily recognizable by the quills around their head, nape, and back which is also convertible into the full-fledged crest. The sturdier quill is not firmly attached and mainly utilized for defense purposes. It also has a very short tail but rattle quills are attached to it. The tail produces a hiss-like rattle when vibration produces in these quills.

What happens when a honey badger and porcupine fight for a burrow?

You might have learned a lot of things about the vicious nature of honey badgers that they are bulletproof or they can fight very large animals like a lion. However, porcupines are also not less dangerous as compared to honey badgers. With the help of their deadly quill, porcupines could also fend off tigers and lions.

There are several instances where honey badgers encounter porcupines over a burrow both of these animals like to make their own new home. Most of the time, porcupine occupies the place first and latterly honey badger has to find a strategy to let them out from the burrow.

In this case, honey badgers just need to remain away from the deadly quills of the porcupine as this quill might not be dangerous for their skin but could be extremely dangerous for their sensitive body parts like neck, eyes, ears, etc. overall, there are more chances that porcupine has to leave the place for honey badgers but porcupine could also put a very good fight and sometimes also come back to retain their territory.

Honey badger vs crested porcupine: who would be the ultimate winner?

In simple words, the honey badger would be the ultimate winner but it doesn’t mean that the porcupine would get killed in this fight. Most of the time, porcupines run away. In this fight, honey badgers also got severely injured or got infected by the deadly quills of the porcupine.

The body of the honey badger is also very strong and flexible as it can easily withstand the stings of thousands of bees as well as bites from multiple animals. They also show good immunity against venomous snakes. It has also been reported that the skin of the honey badger is impervious to the deadly quills of a porcupine.

If these quills are not deadly enough for the honey badgers then it also doesn’t mean that the honey badgers would remain unaffected by the attack of quills porcupine. This quill might infect the body of the honey badgers. Sometimes these infections become deadly enough that honey badgers also got severely ill and ultimately died.

Overall, we can say that the honey badger has an upper hand in this fight as it comes with powerful claws, strong jaws, impressive durability, and very high tenacity. Porcupines may be a formidable opponent but honey badgers just have to remain safe from the deadly quills of the porcupine and keep protected from its sensitive parts and ultimately enjoy a very delicious dinner in the form of a dead porcupine.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion

By going through this article, you will be quite clear about the animals like a porcupine and honey badgers and what would happen If they encounter each other. A porcupine may resist at its best against the honey badger but it could not withstand the fierce attack of honey badgers. The best porcupine can offer is their deadly quills which can also just be partially injured or give some infection to the badger latterly. Overall, the badger would tear apart the porcupine with its powerful jaws and very sharp claws.