Honeyguide birds lead humans to bees’ nests and get beeswax as a reward, but camera traps reveal that honey badgers, baboons and mongooses all feed on the leftovers
Life
6 December 2022
A honey badger eating beeswax Dominic Cram
Many animals in southern Africa feed on beeswax and, by doing so, they help maintain a unique partnership between humans and birds that lead honey-hunters to wild bees’ nests.
Until now, it was thought that very few animals apart from greater honeyguides (Indicator indicator) could digest beeswax – a high-energy food that the birds obtain as a reward from humans who break open bees’ nests.
David Lloyd-Jones at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and his colleagues wanted to see if larger animals feeding on …
No commitment, cancel anytime*
Offer ends 31/12/2022. *Cancel anytime within 14 days of payment to receive a refund on unserved issues.
Existing subscribers, please log in with your email address to link your account access.
Inclusive of applicable taxes (VAT)