mellivora

[Mod. Lat., from Latin mel (gen it. mell is )=honey, and voro =to eat, to devour.] 1. Zool.: Ratel, or Honey-badger. A genus of arctoid mammals, family Melide. Ashy gray on upper surface, black beneath. About twenty-seven inches in length, of which the tail takes up from four to five inches. The dentition is interesting, the molars being 1-1, as in the Felide. The ratel lives largely on bees, which it tracks to their nests, and on birds, tortoises, and insects. Two species are known: Mellivora capensis, the Cape Ratel, from South Africa, and M. indica, the Indian Ratel. 2. Palæont.: Found in the Miocene of the Siwalik Hills.