Facts About Mongoose

Mongoose is a mammal, found inhabiting Asia, Africa and southern Europe, along with some Caribbean islands. It has a long body, with long face, short legs, small rounded ears and tapered snouts. The fur of a mongoose is normally grizzled and of brown or gray color. A number of mongoose species can be seen sporting striped coats or ringed tails. As mongooses are found in plenty, these animals are not considered endangered. Mongooses are quite adaptable animals and can be found residing in a variety of habitats. They are usually seen living in burrows and preying on small animals. Active hunters as these are, mongooses usually settle in cultivated pastures and rocky areas. These fierce creatures are responsible for many ecological issues including the extinctions of other species as well. For this reason, mongooses are considered as pests. In case you want to know more about mongoose, make use of interesting and amazing information given below.

Fast Facts

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Suborder: Feliformia

Family: Herpestidae

Species: Over 30

Length: 7 to 25 inches (18 to 64 cm)

Tail: 6 to 21 inches (15 to 53 cm)

Weight: 340 gm to 5 kg (12 oz to 11 lb)

Natural Habitat: A variety of habitats

Diet: Carnivorous

Age: 20 years

Interesting & Amazing Information on Mongooses

The word ‘mongoose’ comes from the Marathi name ‘mungus’.
There are approximately 33 species of mongooses with a length varying between 1 to 4 feet.
These species have brown or grey grizzled fur and some of the species also have striped bodies and ringed tails.
Mongooses mostly feed on a diet of insects, crabs, earthworms, lizards, snakes, chickens and rodents. Seeds, plants fruits and eggs also form part of their diet.
These species look like a cross between weasels and cats, closely resembling mustelids because of their elongated bodies, short legs, small ears and narrowed tails.
Usually, mongooses are terrestrial mammals. However, you can also find semi-aquatic and arboreal ones.
Mongooses have non-retractile claw i.e. they cannot draw back their own claws.
Some species of mongoose are nocturnal, while the others can be classified as diurnal.
Most common type of mongooses attains sexual maturity after 2 years and 4 months.
Mongoose babies are born blind.
Though mongooses live in burrows, they seldom dig holes for themselves. Rather, they just move into the burrows left by other animals.
Usually, mongooses travel in groups and never live in a place for more than a week.
Banded mongooses are those species that live in packs of about 50 or more mongooses. These species protect their young ones by fending off the predators in groups.
A mongoose demarcates its territory through scent markings. It also uses the same to mark the reproductive status.
Mongooses emit a high-pitched noise, known as ‘giggling’, as a sign of mating.
A mongoose is fast enough to save itself from the strikes of a snake very easily.
Apart from its swiftness and valor, a mongoose has a great tolerance towards the poison of a snake. They developed their immunity against snake venom over the years and for this reason, these can live even after being bit by a snake multiple times.
Mongooses use an alarm call to warn others of any bigger carnivores. As soon as the other mongooses hear the call, they rush to the nearest hole.
These every so often stand on their hind legs and use their tail for balance.
Mongooses can be domesticated and can be trained as pets to regulate vermin population.
These species are noted for their certain behavior of opening eggs by tossing it on hard surfaces or using hard objects to break it open.
The hunting habits and destructive behavior of mongooses have led scientists to believe that these are capable of affecting animal populations to a large extent.

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