We've reached the semi-final stage of this, the 2018 edition of the World's Hardest Creature. What a lineup we have for you beginning with this, the Honey Badger versus the Polar Bear. Current champion meets three time winner in a colossal clash of WHC royalty. Here we go...
Honey Badger - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_badger
Group C winner with 21 votes
2nd Round - Beat the Great White Shark 88-78
Quarter Final - Beat the Orca 67-57
Total votes to date = 176
You all know the Honey Badger's credentials by now. Admittedly it's relatively small and many a Honey Badger has ended up a lion's lunch but...
It's ferocious. It's tenacious. It's in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's most fearless creature and it's in there for a reason. While it lives slap bang in the middle of The Big Five's territory most creatures towards the top of the food chain give the Honey Badger a wide berth, as the risk of incurring injury is just too great.
The Honey Badger has loose skin, which allows it to turn on an attacker even when bitten. It has it's own sharp teeth and claws, which can do real damage. It's skin is tough too, allowing it to fend off snake bites and porcupine quills. It's basically a furry tank.
Videos abound of the Honey Badger's derring do. How can you ever forget the one where it starts eating a vanquished snake, is overcome briefly by venom before waking up to finish its meal? Reports also exist of honey badgers attacking lions by the testes.
The Honey Badger also has a fierce intellect behind its snarl and can fashion tools and engage in problem solving behaviour.
It's received more votes than any other creature in the contest. One thing is for sure; the Honey Badger will not give up its crown without one monster of a fight.
Polar Bear - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_bear
2nd in Group C with 14 votes
2nd Round - Beat the Asian Giant Hornet 24-18
Quarter Final - Beat the Tasmanian Devil 53-43
Total votes to date - 87
Previously the undisputed king of WHC, the Polar Bear's aura of invincibility has faded somewhat in recent years. Perhaps its ongoing struggle against the ravages of climate change has weakened it in the eyes of the WHC faithful. Who knows? The facts show that the Polar Bear comes into the semi-final having attracted 89 fewer votes than the Honey Badger so it will really need to raise its game to reach the final. Perhaps the Polar Bear has simply been saving itself for the bigger battles to come. It has certainly had a kinder draw than the Honey Badger and we can expect it to come into this contest relatively refreshed.
A creature as big, beautiful and as simply built for hardness as the Polar Bearwill always take some stopping. It is the consummate hunter with a nose capable of sniffing out prey up to 30 km away (imagine you're at The Amex and suddenly get a waft of your lunch coming across from Gatwick).
The most carnivorous of all bears, it feeds on seals, narwhal, walrus and beluga whales. It can charge at up to 25 mph.
Most land based animals in there Arctic can outrun it and most sea based creatures can out swim it but that's no problem for the Polar Bear. It's the master of the area where the sea meets the ice, ambushing resting prey or simply swiping at those coming up for air. Unfortunate prey is generally dispatched with a single bite to the head, as the Polar Bear is among the top ten of all creatures in terms of bite force.
Has the Polar Bear simply been saving its rumble for now? It's time to find out.
Honey Badger - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_badger
Group C winner with 21 votes
2nd Round - Beat the Great White Shark 88-78
Quarter Final - Beat the Orca 67-57
Total votes to date = 176
You all know the Honey Badger's credentials by now. Admittedly it's relatively small and many a Honey Badger has ended up a lion's lunch but...
It's ferocious. It's tenacious. It's in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's most fearless creature and it's in there for a reason. While it lives slap bang in the middle of The Big Five's territory most creatures towards the top of the food chain give the Honey Badger a wide berth, as the risk of incurring injury is just too great.
The Honey Badger has loose skin, which allows it to turn on an attacker even when bitten. It has it's own sharp teeth and claws, which can do real damage. It's skin is tough too, allowing it to fend off snake bites and porcupine quills. It's basically a furry tank.
Videos abound of the Honey Badger's derring do. How can you ever forget the one where it starts eating a vanquished snake, is overcome briefly by venom before waking up to finish its meal? Reports also exist of honey badgers attacking lions by the testes.
The Honey Badger also has a fierce intellect behind its snarl and can fashion tools and engage in problem solving behaviour.
It's received more votes than any other creature in the contest. One thing is for sure; the Honey Badger will not give up its crown without one monster of a fight.
Polar Bear - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_bear
2nd in Group C with 14 votes
2nd Round - Beat the Asian Giant Hornet 24-18
Quarter Final - Beat the Tasmanian Devil 53-43
Total votes to date - 87
Previously the undisputed king of WHC, the Polar Bear's aura of invincibility has faded somewhat in recent years. Perhaps its ongoing struggle against the ravages of climate change has weakened it in the eyes of the WHC faithful. Who knows? The facts show that the Polar Bear comes into the semi-final having attracted 89 fewer votes than the Honey Badger so it will really need to raise its game to reach the final. Perhaps the Polar Bear has simply been saving itself for the bigger battles to come. It has certainly had a kinder draw than the Honey Badger and we can expect it to come into this contest relatively refreshed.
A creature as big, beautiful and as simply built for hardness as the Polar Bearwill always take some stopping. It is the consummate hunter with a nose capable of sniffing out prey up to 30 km away (imagine you're at The Amex and suddenly get a waft of your lunch coming across from Gatwick).
The most carnivorous of all bears, it feeds on seals, narwhal, walrus and beluga whales. It can charge at up to 25 mph.
Most land based animals in there Arctic can outrun it and most sea based creatures can out swim it but that's no problem for the Polar Bear. It's the master of the area where the sea meets the ice, ambushing resting prey or simply swiping at those coming up for air. Unfortunate prey is generally dispatched with a single bite to the head, as the Polar Bear is among the top ten of all creatures in terms of bite force.
Has the Polar Bear simply been saving its rumble for now? It's time to find out.