LOOK: Rare albino honey badger

The rare albino honey badger. Image: CapeNature

LOOK: Rare albino honey badger spotted in the Western Cape

Images of a rare albino honey badger captured in SA is said to be the first record of this condition for this species in scientific literature.

LOOK: Rare albino honey badger

The rare albino honey badger. Image: CapeNature

Is that a polar bear? That’s what some are calling a rare, albino honey badger that was recently spotted at the De Hoop Nature Reserve in the Western Cape.

Rare albino honey badger spotted in South Africa

According to Earth Touch News, honey badgers have cemented their place as one of Africa’s most fearsome and charismatic predators. And while they are instantly recognisable, one individual honey badger is not.

Yes, images of a albino honey badger is supposedly the first record of this condition for this species in scientific literature.

It is reported that researchers from BirdLife South Africa and Panthera stumbled across the image of an all-white badger after conducting a study to assess the abundance of predators that may pose a threat to the establishment of a new penguin colony in the area.

Regular honey badgers have black faces and underparts blanketed by a cloak of thick, silvery-white fur that covers their backs and the tops of their heads. The one photographed in De Hoop is reportedly affected by albinism – an inherited genetic condition that causes a lack of melanin, the pigment that gives colour to skin, hair and eyes.

Honey Badger • Travel Guide • Destination Uganda
A regular honey badger. Image: Uganda Travel Guide

Albinism results in reduced fitness for wild animals

Cape Nature adds that albinism generally results in reduced fitness for wild animals, which means a reduced chance of survival, and as a result, it is an extremely rare trait as natural selection reduces the chances of this gene being passed on.

“Albino animals are often at a disadvantage as the disorder results in reduced visual perception and increased sensitivity to the sun,” Earth Touch News writes further. “A white honey badger is also more likely to have difficulty blending into its surroundings making it more of a challenge for the animal to successfully stalk its prey.”

Rare albino honey badger spotted at De Hoop Nature Reserve
The rare albino honey badger. Image: CapeNature

Luckily, it is reported that honey badgers are not known to target penguins, so it’s unlikely that the it will pose a significant threat to the newly proposed breeding colony.