Badger.

It's time to meet the

Magnificent Beast of the Day

the honey badger

Where'd you be today, if only you had listened to your mum?
If you were a honey badger, the answer would be:

The most fearless and resourceful predator
in all of Africa!

The honey badger listens to his mum. She has many wise lessons to impart. She fills his first few years of life with a thorough and varied schooling. She teaches him how to dig spectacular holes...

...track burrowing mice...

...chase prey up trees...

... and slay poisonous snakes.

If he is bitten by one of these venomous reptiles, he's not too bothered about it. He just takes a nap.

In a couple of hours, he feels all better again.

The honey badger has a lot to learn. None of these skills are instinctive, and it's a tough break living in Africa. There are a lot of whopping great beasties around, and the honey badger is only three foot long.

But if he's paid attention in school, he won't let that bother him. He might be small, but he's not afraid of anything.

He's got moves that'll take down an alpha lion.

Dirty, dirty moves.

Bet you thought, with an animal called the "honey badger", I'd be telling you all about how sticky sweet and adorable he was, huh?

"Honey? What's honey got to do with a poison-impervious foe-castrator?"

Well. There is another side to little Mister Honey Badger. He and his good friend, the honeyguide, like to go romping together on the plains. The honeyguide has a wicked sense of direction. She knows just where to find all the good beehives, and she leads the badger to them.

Then he jams his face into the hive and rips it to pieces with his teeth and claws. The bees fight back in the only way they know how, but their stings hardly penetrate his thick skin. Soon the little bee corpses begin to pile up at his feet. He ransacks the honeycombs and slaughters the bees as they try to escape.

He and the honeyguide enjoy the spoils together. The honeyguide's favourite snack is beeswax soaked in honey. The badger prefers the tender meat of bee larvae. He feasts upon the helpless creatures.

And then he takes a nap.

RUNNER-UP FOR BEASTIE OF THE DAY:

slow loris

The cutest animal in the whole damn universe. Click the name link to see a video of one being tickled. Good grief.