#ratel

Roy ( @roygattero ) requested "ratel becoming the new african big predator":

Perforictis royi is the latest in the long and venerable tradition of various synapsid lineages discovering the ecological niche of "big stabby saber-teeth".

A descendant of the modern ratel/honey badger, it stands around 80cm tall at the shoulder (~2'8"), and convergently resembles the feline-like build of some of its more ancient relatives. Inhabiting the tropical forests of the rifted-off island continent of East Africa, it's an ambush predator specializing in tackling larger prey – primarily ungulates and primates, but also occasionally giant rodents and hyraxes.

Usually cooperatively hunting in mated pairs, these mustelids stalk close to their targets before attacking, with one individual focusing on toppling and immobilizing their target while the other positions itself to deliver a swift precision killing bite to the throat with its saber-teeth and powerful neck musculature.

Indian Ratel or Honey Badger (Mellivora capensis indica), family Mustelidae, order Carnivora, Chhattisgarh, India

While the honey badger is generally thought of as an African species, it also occurs in the Middle East, Central and South Asia, though more rarely seen