Rā'tel, n.

noun

n. (Zoöl.) A carnivorous animal of the genus Ratellus, and of the weasel family, found in India and at the Cape of Good Hope. The R. mellivorus of the Cape is remarkable for the destruction it makes among the nests of the wild bees, in digging up the earth when searching for their honey-combs.

An illustration of a ratel, a stocky, low-slung mammal with a long body and raised head. — Ratel (*R. mellivorus*).