The Turkmen call this animal it-aiy (bear dog). Indeed, the honey badger looks a bit like a bear cub, but it still belongs to the mustelid family. This animal is medium-sized, short-legged, strong, with strong claws. Short strong paws allow it to dig the ground well, but it is also an excellent tree climber.

The Guinness World Records, in its 1998-2003 editions, named the honey badger "the most fearless mammal in the world." And yes, this animal is famous for its ferocity and fearlessness despite its very small size.

In summer, the animal leads a strictly nocturnal lifestyle; at other times of the year, it can be found at dusk, and in winter, sometimes even during the day.

In search of food, it can cover a distance of 10-15 kilometers. Honey badgers are predatory animals. Their prey includes various rodents, as well as long-eared hedgehogs, birds and their eggs, snakes, including poisonous ones, as well as amphibians, insect larvae, scorpions and other invertebrates. Honey badgers can also attack prey several times larger than themselves.

These animals also eat plant food: berries, fruits, roots and tubers of plants. They love to eat honey, for which they got their nickname "honey badger".

The honey badger is listed in the Red Book of Turkmenistan as a rare species, and hunting for it is prohibited. The small number and limited habitat put this animal at risk of extinction. The animal is protected by the country's state reserves.