Counting the Uncountable: teacher key

Honey Badgers, grade 10 edition, written for 10th grade. Hard to count and wide-ranging, honey badgers are rated Least Concern even as their numbers decline. Seasonal diets, camera traps and local laws fill in the picture.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. Which reason does the Red List give for keeping the honey badger at Least Concern?
   • It lives only in parks
   • It is easy to count
   • It has a broad range and is not a dietary specialist (answer)
2. What protection does Schedule I of India's 1972 Act give?
   • Absolute protection (answer)
   • No protection
   • Protection only in zoos
3. In which months did small mammals make up 80 percent of the Kalahari diet?
   • January to April
   • September to December (answer)
   • June to August
4. Why are honey badgers hard to count?
   • They are active at night, live alone and have large home ranges (answer)
   • They live only in zoos
   • They are all the same size
5. What does density mean in this book?
   • Animals per area (answer)
   • Thick skin
   • Loud calls

Words

• density: animals per area
• foraging: food-hunting
• specialist: one-food eater
• mustelids: weasel-family animals
• mechanism: how it works