Is a skunk also known as a "Ratel"?

Question

I know a Ratel is a skunk like animal, but are they the same thing?

And if not, then what is a skunk's proper name?

So do "Honey-badgers" smell like skunks do, then?

Answer 1

The Ratel is the south african name for the Honey Badger, which does has a thick white stripe on it's back, but with the body shape of a european badger (both are mustelids - same family as the weasel).

And no, the honey badger has no 'smell weapon' and doesn't smell like a skunk.

Answer 2

The Ratel (Mellivora capensis), also known as the Honey Badger, is a member of the Mustelidae family. They are distributed throughout most of Africa and western and south Asian areas of Baluchistan (eastern Iran), Pakistan and Rajasthan (western India). It is the only species classified in the genus Mellivora and the subfamily Mellivorinae

Skunks are moderately small mammals, usually with black-and-white fur, belonging to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora. There are 11 species of skunks, which are divided into four genera: Mephitis (hooded and striped skunks, two species), Spilogale (spotted skunks, two species), Mydaus (stink badgers, two species), and Conepatus (hog-nosed skunks, five species). The two skunk species in the Mydaus genus inhabit Indonesia and the Philippines; all other skunks inhabit the Americas from Canada to central South America.

Skunks were formerly considered to be a subfamily of the Mustelidae family of weasels and related animals (where some taxonomists still place them), but recent genetic evidence shows that they are not as closely related to the Mustelidae as formerly thought.[1]

Skunks are sometimes called polecats because of their visual similarity to the European polecat (Mustela putorius), a member of the Mustelidae family

Answer 3

The Ratel is actually a Honey Badger

Yes - it looks like a skunk

The other name for a skunk you may be looking for is "polecat"

Have a look at the wiki pages. Nice pictures

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mephitidae

* Striped Skunk, Mephitis mephitis
* Hooded Skunk, Mephitis macroura
* Western Spotted Skunk, Spilogale gracilis
o Channel Islands Spotted Skunk, Spilogale gracilis amphiala
* Eastern Spotted Skunk, Spilogale putorius
* Pygmy Spotted Skunk, Spilogale pygmaea
* Western Hog-nosed Skunk, Conepatus mesoleucus
* Eastern Hog-nosed Skunk, Conepatus leuconotus
* Striped Hog-nosed Skunk, Conepatus semistriatus
* Andes Skunk, Conepatus chinga
* Patagonian Skunk, Conepatus humboldtii
* Indonesian or Javan Stink Badger (Teledu), Mydaus javanensis
* Palawan Stink Badger, Mydaus marchei

Answer 4

a ratel is a honey badger.
no not the same thing as a skunk and no they dont smell like them.
skunks dont actually smell either what they do is in defence they spray a foul smelling liquid from scent glands below the tail. and a skunk is just a skunk

Answer 5

A 'skunk' is from any of several bushy-tailed carnivores (family Mustelidae) of the New World, about the size of a house cat: it has glossy black fur, usually with white stripes or spots down the back, and ejects a foul-smelling, musky liquid when disturbed or frightened b) its fur

a "ratel' is a fierce bagder (Mellivora capensis) of india and tropical aftica

Answer 6

A Ratel is a honey badger. It's in the mustelid family.

Answer 7

they look alike
it`s a Honey Badger

Answer 8

pole cat

Answer 9

polecat

Answer 10

it is a honeybadger, and there are military vehicles named after them.......................................................