''Mellivora'' is a genus of mustelids that contains the

honey badger The honey badger (''Mellivora capensis''), also known as the ratel ( or ), is a mammal widely distributed in Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Because of its wide range and occurrence in a variety of habitats, it is listed ...

or ratel ''(Mellivora capensis)''. It is also the sole living representative of the subfamily Mellivorinae. Additionally, two extinct species are known. The honey badger is native to much of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

and

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

, while fossil relatives occurred in those areas and

Southern Europe Southern Europe is the southern regions of Europe, region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is essentially marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countrie ...

Taxonomy

The genus ''Mellivora'' probably evolved from the more primitive ''Promellivora punjabiensis'' of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

(which itself was formerly classified as ''M. punjabiensis''). The two genera are grouped together in the tribe Eomellivorini together with the extinct giant mustelids ''

Eomellivora ''Eomellivora'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric mustelids, closely related to the honey badger, known from Eurasia and North America, and tentatively Africa. It was one of the biggest mustelids ever known, bigger and more hypercarnivorous tha ...

'' and ''

Ekorus ''Ekorus ekakeran'' is a large, extinct mustelid mammal. Fossils, including largely complete skeletons, are known from the late Miocene of Kenya. Description ''Ekorus'' reached almost , comparably to a wolf and much bigger than the modern hone ...

''.

Mellivora benfieldi ''Mellivora benfieldi'' or Benfield's honey badger is an extinct species of mustelid from the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene of Africa and possibly Europe. Taxonomy ''Mellivora benfieldi'' is considered a likely ancestor of the living honey badg ...

'' is considered a likely ancestor of the living honey badger.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q13564654 Mammal genera Mammal genera with one living species Badgers Taxa named by Gottlieb Conrad Christian Storr