| Aspects | Details |
| About | - The greater hog badger is a terrestrial mustelid.
- Globally, it has three living species: the greater hog badger, the northern hog badger (Arctonyx albogularis), and the Sumatran hog badger (Arctonyx hoevenii). The first two are found in India
- In Assamese, it is referred to as “Mati Gahori.”
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| Scientific name | Its scientific name is Arctonyx collaris. |
| Habitat | It prefers living in tropical evergreen forests, savannas, grasslands, shrubland, hills, and mountains. |
| Distribution | - It is native to Southeast Asia.
- Its geographic range stretches from Bangladesh and northeastern India eastward through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos (Lao PDR), and Vietnam.
- They are found in the Terai of the Indian subcontinent, from the Yamuna River east, through the states of Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and West Bengal.
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| Features | - It is one of the world’s largest terrestrial extant mustelids (by average body mass).
- It has medium-length brown hair, a stocky body, a white throat, two black stripes on an elongated white snout, and a pink, pig-like nose.
- The body weight is 7–14 kg.
- Its appearance generally resembles the European badger, but have a pronounced pig-like snout and larger claws on the front feet.
- Its tail has long white hairs, and its front feet have white claws.
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| Diet | It is omnivorous. Its diet consists of fruits, roots and small animals. |
| Behaviour | - It is a nocturnal and terrestrial mammal that is highly shy and typically lives a solitary life.
- It is territorial and uses scent markings on grass, rocks, and tree trunks to define its territory.
- It is skilled at digging and creating underground burrows for shelter and forage by excavating the soil in search of food.
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| Ecological Significance | - It is an ecologically important mesocarnivore.
- It contributes to ecosystem functioning through soil disturbance, nutrient redistribution, and the turnover of leaf litter during foraging activities.
- Its digging behaviour enhances soil aeration and may facilitate seed germination and microhabitat formation for invertebrates and small vertebrates.
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| Threat | Its global population is declining due to habitat loss and high levels of poaching. |
| Conservation status | - IUCN: Vulnerable
- Wildlife Protection Act of 1972: Schedule I
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