| Mellivora | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Honey badger(Mellivora capensis) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Subfamily: | Mellivorinae Gray, 1865[1] |
| Genus: | Mellivora Storr, 1780 |
| Type species | |
| Viverra ratel[2] Sparrman, 1777 | |
| Species | |
Mellivora is a genus of mustelids which contains thehoney badger, or ratel(Mellivora capensis), the sole living representative of the subfamilyMellivorinae. Additionally, two extinct species are known. The honey badger is native to much ofAfrica andSouth Asia, while fossil relatives occurred in those areas andSouthern Europe.
The genusMellivora probably evolved from the more primitive†Promellivora punjabiensis ofIndia (which itself was formerly classified asM. punjabiensis). The two genera are grouped together in the tribe Eomellivorini together with the extinct giant mustelids†Eomellivora and†Ekorus.[3]
Mellivora benfieldi is considered a likely ancestor of the living honey badger.[4]
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