Honey Badger vs Black Mamba | Survival Of The Fiercest

Honey badger is a carnivore animal with a very aggressive nature. It is not a very large but very deadly mammal. It is even smaller than dogs but can challenge very large animals like lions, hyenas, wolverines, wolves, snakes, etc. On the other hand, the black mamba is also among the most dangerous snakes that live on earth. They are very deadly and poisonous. Most of the animals could not withstand their venom even for 24 hours.

Many people like to know what would happen if a honey badger encounters a black mamba. The encounter is also probable as they both share the same habitat in the African region. In this article, we are going to find out if the fight happens between a honey badger and a black mamba, who would be the ultimate winner? In this way, we can analyze, which is a more tough and tenacious animal.

Honey Badger vs Black Mamba
Honey Badger vs Black Mamba

Key differences between honey badger and black mamba

The main difference between honey badger and black mamba is in terms of their size, morphology, and method of the strike. Honey badgers are very agile animals with very powerful and sharp teeth and claws while black mamba is a very slithering reptile and could easily kill their prey with its very deadly venom.

Both of these animals have some edge or advantage over the other. Let’s have a look at all the factors which come into play when we compare these animals

CharacteristicsHoney badgerBlack mamba
SizeLength: 1.5 to 2.5 feet Weight: 11 to 35 lbs Height: 9 to 11 inchesLength: 6 to 9.5 feet Weight: 3.5 to 4.5 lbs
Speed and movement19 mph12 mph
SensesPoor eyesight but great smelling and hearing skills.Perfect hearing, and eye senses
Defense mechanismThick, tough, and flexible skin, can resist the venom of snakes, and highly stinking musk.Aggressive snake who doesn’t back down easily.
Offensive skillsWell-aimed powerful bites, sharp claws.Can raise their body easily and bite several times,
Predatory behaviorFollow their prey, powerful and sharp claws and jaws, and dig out prey.Ambushing capability.

Size: honey badger vs black mamba

We can easily get to know from the very first glance that honey badger is large animals than black mamba. Honey badger is actually 2.5 feet long, 1 foot tall, and weighs around 35 lbs. black mambas are very much longer and the average length of a black mamba is 14 feet and weighs around 4.5 lbs. Thus, the honey badger has an edge over the black mamba when it comes to size.

Offensive capabilities: black mamba vs honey badger

Black mambas are among the most aggressive and deadly snakes we can find on earth. The venom of this snake is very potent and very quickly penetrates its prey when they bite them. It is extremely difficult or you can say impossible to withstand their venom.

On the other hand, honey badgers are also very aggressive predators with extremely fine agility and intelligence. They also have very great senses when they have to find their prey. They have excellent hearing and smelling senses. When it comes to comparison honey badger has an edge over black mamba as they could withstand their venom.

Defense mechanism: honey badgers vs black mamba

Black mambas are not defensive in nature. Most animals don’t like to encounter black mambas as they are very deadly and ferocious. Overall, speed and deadly venom are their most potent weapons when it comes to defense mechanisms.

Honey badgers are also very aggressive but they have very thick but loose skin. They can easily withstand very powerful damaging blows, bites, stings, etc. They show great resistance against the venom of a snake. Thus, honey badger also has an edge when it comes to defensive mechanisms over black mamba.

Fighting skills

Black mambas are very deadly in nature and they have extremely good fighting skills. They can easily engage with very large creatures and also most of the time kill them with their poisonous venom. They like to lift their body upward before striking or stinging anyone.

This attack strategy is quite helpful in attacking the most sensitive parts of opponents like their neck, head, etc. They don’t strike casually and always bite in such a way that it would be almost impossible for the opponent to sustain. Owing to these extraordinary fighting skills, most of the animals try to avoid them fighting.

On the other hand, honey badgers have an edge in terms of size and toughness. They try to dominate their opponent step by step. These mammals first give an initial blow and then deliver many striking blows to kill their opponents for good. Thus, black mamba has an edge over honey badgers in terms of fighting skills.

Speed and movement: honey badger vs black mamba

Both of these animals are quite different in terms of speed. For instance, a black mamba has an average speed of 12 mph while honey badgers can run at a speed of 19 mph. There is a very large difference between them in terms of speed. Thus, we can say badger has an edge over black mamba in terms of speed.

See our Article for Badger Vs Wolverine here.

Honey badger vs black mamba: who will be the ultimate winner?

Overall, there are more chances that honey badger will beat black mamba. Both animals are very aggressive and go for the killing blow whenever they fight. But honey badger has great agility as well as speed and movement and they can easily avoid the attack from black mamba by manipulation.

Honey badgers fight with a very free mind and first of all, they make a lot of movements around the snake to confuse them, and whenever black mambas lose attention, honey badgers attack them immediately on their head.

Moreover, honey badgers also show great immunity against the venom of snakes. If they are stung by the snake, they lose consciousness for the time being. The snake will definitely try to attack them again but the honey badger must gain consciousness and retort back very fiercely against the snake.

Otherwise, they might succumb to their venomous strikes. Usually, it is common practice that the honey badgers come out from their dens and finish off the black mamba in very less time. Snakes normally get dead by only just one strike of the honey badger as they give their ultimate blow.

Thus, we conclude that honey badgers really don’t care and they can engage or kill even the most deadly animals in the world. They could even sustain very venomous attacks from very deadly snakes.

Frequently asked questions

Honey badgers are omnivores and they can eat a variety of diets. Snake is also one of the favorite parts of their diet. Thus, honey badgers can eat anything from puff adders to cobras and black mambas. There is no restriction when it comes to eating something interesting in the case of a honey badger. Honey badgers can also easily kill snakes as they have natural immunity capability against snake venom.

Yes, honey badgers can survive black mamba strikes. They might lose consciousness once they are stung by black mamba snakes. But they can easily attack again before succumbing to the venom of the black mamba. It is also necessary for them to strike immediately as soon as possible. Otherwise, they might get killed by venomous and deadly snakes.

Black mambas have very few natural predators. Most prominent among these are brown eagles. Tawny and marital eagles also like to strike and kill them whenever they find an opportunity. Honey badger is also among the natural predators of the black mamba.

Conclusion

We have done the comparison between honey badger and black mamba in a very detailed and very comprehensive manner. Once you go through this article, you will be quite clear about all the aspects of these animals. We have done comparisons based on size, fighting skills, offensive capabilities, etc. We have concluded that if the fight happens between honey badgers and black mambas, then there are more chances of honey badgers over power and ultimately killing black mambas.

Izzy foxx on a vet tour in africa

Izzy Foxx

Izzy is an experienced ranch worker who has a passion for exploring nature and getting up close to wildlife. With her connections to various animal organizations, Izzy is well-versed in animal care and rehabilitation.

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