Honey badgers have cemented their place as one of Africa’s most formidable and charismatic predators – aided in large part by stunning videos of the two-colored creatures preying on leopards and playing ‘tug-of-war python. With jackals. Their fame made them instantly recognizable, but there is one individual lurking in De Hoop Nature Reserve in South Africa with a different look. A rare albino badger was recently filmed in the Western Cape Preserve, looking more like a mini polar bear than a badger.
Researchers working for BirdLife South Africa and Panthera were conducting a study to assess the abundance of predators that could pose a threat to establishing a new penguin colony in the region, when they came across the image of an all-white badger. Ordinary honey badgers have a black face and underside covered with a coat of thick, silvery white fur that covers their back and the top of their head. The pale individual pictured in De Hoop is said to have albinism – an inherited genetic disease that causes a lack of melanin, the pigment that gives color to skin, hair and eyes.
A video of a honey badger on the prowl from the Earth Touch archives. Ordinary honey badgers have a black face and underside covered with a coat of thick, silvery white fur that covers their back and the top of their head.
While there is at least one anecdotal record of an albino badger, the new sighting marks the first time the condition has been recorded in the scientific literature for the species. Albino animals are often at a disadvantage because the disorder results in reduced visual perception and increased sensitivity to the sun. A white honey badger is also more likely to have difficulty blending into its surroundings, making it more difficult for the animal to successfully stalk its prey.
Honey badgers are not known to target penguins, so the pearly predator is unlikely to pose a significant threat to the proposed new breeding colony. According to CapeNature, the camera trap investigation focused more on species such as leopards or caracals which are known to dramatically deplete penguin populations.
Honey Badgers are hardcore enough that we don’t need a Ghost Edition, but we’ll take it.
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