Can You Outrun a Honey Badger? How Fast Do They Run?

Honey badgers appear so adorable and cute in photos. In reality though, if a honey badger approaches you, it feels threatened and will attack. You have probably entered its domain either on purpose or accidentally.

The honey badger will not tolerate this.

CUTLINE: The adorable honey badger seems so docile as it sleeps.

Honey Badgers: One of the World’s Fastest Animals

You may run; you may hide. However, the mighty honey badger runs at a top speed of 19 miles per hour. If Usain Bolt runs into a honey badger, he’s safe. Bolt can sprint 100 meters in 9.58 seconds, so he might be able to outrun the badger long enough to reach safety.

Nicknamed “Lightning Bolt,” the amazingly fast Jamaican runner can run at a sustained speed of 28 miles per hour for 100 meters, which roughly equals 0.06 miles. Florence Griffith-Joyner could also have safely escaped a honey badger since she could run a 100-meter dash in 10.49 seconds. Her 1988 record speed still hasn’t been broken, but then, Griffith-Joyner could run 21.3 miles per hour (mph).

The typical human can only manage a speed of about five miles per hour, so you or I would go down. The feisty honey badger would catch its prey and tear it apart with its razor-sharp teeth.

Other Fast Animals Who Can Outrun a Honey Badger

Approximately, six animals could outrun this fierce badger that’s actually a member of the weasel family. The cheetah (70 to 75 mph), the world’s fastest animal, lives to see another day, as does the leopard ( 36 mph), tiger (30 mph), cougar (40 mph), Panthera (36 mph), or the black panther (30 mph).

CUTLINE: Honey badger playing on a wood jungle gym.

Cute but Deadly Creatures of the Wild

Despite their cuteness, honey badgers prove deadly. They’re fiercely protective of their living space, family, and food sources. They dislike others.

If any animal or human approaches them uninvited, these animals will attack. That includes the king of the jungle, the lion, and the honey badger can win. If injured, these tough creatures will tear off … Read the rest of the story.