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A 'mongoose' (plural Mongooses, alternatively Mongeese) is a member of the family 'Herpestidae', a family of small cat-like carnivores. Mongooses are widely distributed in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and southern Europe. There are more than thirty species, ranging from one to four feet in length. Mongooses mostly feed on insects, crabs, earthworms, lizards, snakes, chickens, and rodents. However, they will also eat eggs and carrion. Some species, such as the Indian mongoose, are popularly used to fight and kill venomous snakes, even king cobras. They are able to do this because of their agility and cunning, thick coat and high resistance to the venom, but typically avoid the cobra and have no particular affinity for consuming their meat. Great Book of the Animal Kingdom, , , , Arch Cape Press, 1988,
Some species of mongoose can be easily domesticated, are fairly intelligent, and can be taught simple tricks, so they are often kept as pets to protect the home from vermin. However, they can be more destructive than desired; when imported into the West Indies for the purpose of killing rats and snakes, they destroyed most of the small, ground-based fauna. For this reason, it is illegal to import most species of mongooses into the United States,^[1] Australia and other countries. Mongooses were introduced to Hawaii in 1883, and have had a significant impact on native species.^[2]
Mongooses are a common spectacle for road-side shows in India. Snake-charmers typically keep mongooses for mock fights with snakes. In Okinawa, Japan, there is a tourist attraction where a mongoose and a type of local venomous snake, the habu (one of various ''Trimeresurus'' species) are placed in a closed perimeter and allowed to fight, while spectators watch. However, due to pressure from animal rights activists, the spectacle is less common today.
In ancient Egypt according to the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus (1.35 & 1.87), native mongooses (Herpestes ichneumon) were venerated for their ability to handle venomous snakes and for their occasional diet of crocodile eggs.
The plural form of ''mongoose'' is ''mongooses'' or ''mongeese''.^[3] The word ''mongoose'' is derived from the Marathi word ''mangus''.

Contents

Anatomy

Range and distribution

Ecology

Behavioral ecology

Taxonomy and classification

Classification

In popular culture

Gallery

Bibliography

References

External links

Anatomy

Mongooses have long faces and bodies, small rounded ears, short legs and long tapering tails. Most are brindled or grizzled; few have strongly marked coats. They have non-retractile claws that are used primarily for digging. Mongooses, much like goats have narrow, ovular pupils.

Range and distribution

Mongooses are distributed throughout North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Asia living in a variety of habitats from forests to open woodland, savanna, semi-desert and desert. Chiefly terrestrial, some are aquatic or semi-arboreal. The Indian Mongoose (''Herpestes javanicus'') can be found in Hawaii North America and is known locally as ''iole manakuke''.

Ecology

Behavioral ecology

The Egyptian mongoose (''Herpestes ichneumon'') is sometimes held as an example of a solitary mongoose, though they have been observed to work in groups also.^[4]
The meerkat or suricate (''Suricata suricatta'') lives in troops of 2-3 families each comprising a male, a female and 2-5 offspring in open country in Southern Africa (Angola, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa). Meerkats are small, diurnal mammals foraging for invertebrates in open country. Their behaviour and small size (they weigh less than one kilogram) makes them very vulnerable to larger carnivores and birds of prey. However, the meerkat has been known to eat small birds that migrate through Southern Africa. To protect the foraging troops from predators, one meerkat serves as a sentinel — climbing to an exposed vantage point and scanning the surroundings for danger. If the sentinel detects a predator it gives a loud alarm call to warn the troop and indicate if the threat comes from the air or the ground. If from the air, the meerkats rush as fast as they can to the nearest hole. If from the ground, the troop flees but not quite so fast as meerkats are more able to evade terrestrial predators than airborne raptors. Nearer the coast, the sentinel has worked out a remarkable system of warning it's troop. While standing watch, it will use lanterns to indicate the type of attack. One if by land, and two if by sea.

Taxonomy and classification

The mongooses belong to one of four families of terrestrial cat-like mammals descended from the Viverraines, which were civet/genet-like mammals. The mongoose family is a close evolutionary relation of the family Viverridae and mongooses are sometimes classified as members of this family; however, mongooses have characteristic and distinguishing morphological and behavioural features though they do have the same basic dental formula as the viverrids. In contrast to the arboreal, nocturnal viverrids, mongooses are more commonly terrestrial and many are active during the day. Most are solitary like the Egyptian mongoose but a few, for example meerkats, have well-developed social systems.
Less diverse than the viverrids, the 30 species and 11 genera of mongooses are assigned to only two subfamilies. The subfamily Herpestinae comprises 30 species of African and Asian mongooses, including the Cape gray mongoose, the Egyptian mongoose and the meerkat or suricate.

Classification

★ 'FAMILY HERPESTIDAE'

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★ Subfamily Herpestinae

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★ Genus ''Atilax''

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★ Marsh Mongoose, ''Atilax paludinosus''

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★ Genus ''Bdeogale''

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★ Bushy-tailed Mongoose, ''Bdeogale crassicauda''

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★ Jackson's Mongoose, ''Bdeogale jacksoni''

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★ Black-footed Mongoose, ''Bdeogale nigripes''

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★ Genus ''Crossarchus''

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★ Alexander's Cusimanse, ''Crossarchus alexandri''

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★ Ansorge's Cusimanse, ''Crossarchus ansorgei''

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★ Long-nosed Cusimanse, ''Crossarchus obscurus''

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★ Flat-headed Cusimanse, ''Crossarchus platycephalus''

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★ Genus ''Cynictis''

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★ Yellow Mongoose, ''Cynictis penicillata''

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★ Genus ''Dologale''

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★ Pousargues' Mongoose, ''Dologale dybowskii''

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★ Genus ''Galerella''

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★ Black Slender Mongoose, ''Galerella flavescens''

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★ Cape Grey Mongoose, ''Galerella pulverulenta''

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★ Slender Mongoose, ''Galerella sanguinea''

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★ Namaqua Slender Mongoose, ''Galerella swalius''

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★ Genus ''Helogale''

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★ Desert Dwarf Mongoose, ''Helogale hirtula''

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★ Dwarf Mongoose, ''Helogale parvula''

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★ Genus ''Herpestes''

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★ Short-tailed Mongoose, ''Herpestes brachyurus''

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★ Indian Gray Mongoose, ''Herpestes edwardsii''

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★ Indian Brown Mongoose, ''Herpestes fuscus''

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★ Egyptian Mongoose, ''Herpestes ichneumon''

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★ Indian Mongoose, ''Herpestes javanicus'' or ''Herpestes auropunctatus''

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★ Long-nosed Mongoose, ''Herpestes naso''

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★ Bengal Mongoose, ''Herpestes palustris''

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★ Collared Mongoose, ''Herpestes semitorquatus''

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★ Ruddy Mongoose, ''Herpestes smithii''

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★ Crab-eating Mongoose, ''Herpestes urva''

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★ Striped-necked Mongoose, ''Herpestes vitticollis''

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★ Genus ''Ichneumia''

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★ White-tailed Mongoose, ''Ichneumia albicauda''

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★ Genus ''Liberiictus''

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★ Liberian Mongoose, ''Liberiictis kuhni''

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★ Genus ''Mungos''

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★ Gambian Mongoose, ''Mungos gambianus''

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★ Banded Mongoose, ''Mungos mungo''

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★ Genus ''Mungotictis''

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★ Narrow-striped Mongoose, ''Mungotictis decemlineata''

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★ Genus ''Paracynictis''

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★ Selous' Mongoose, ''Paracynictis selousi''

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★ Genus ''Rhynchogale''

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★ Meller's Mongoose, ''Rhynchogale melleri''

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★ Genus ''Suricata''

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★ Meerkat, ''Suricata suricatta''

In popular culture

★ The martial art ''Shou Shu'' utilizes, among 6 other animals, the fighting principles of the mongoose.

★ Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, the title character in Rudyard Kipling's story, is a mongoose.^[5] Rikki-Tikki-Tavi may also be known from the animated short film based on the story, directed by Chuck Jones.^[6] There is also a song by Donovan called 'Rikki-Tikki-Tavi', referencing Rudyard Kipling's famous mongoose.^[7]

★ Pablo Neruda recounts in his Memoirs that during his stint in Ceylon he had a mongoose as pet

★ In an episode of Robot Chicken a mongoose shot JFK.

Gallery

Mongoose, or ''Mangouste'' as depicted in the 1851 Illustrated London Reading Book

Long-nosed Cusimanse, ''Crossarchus obscurus''

Banded Mongoose, ''Mungos mungo''

Bibliography

★ Anne Rasa: ''Mongoose Watch: A Family Observed.'' Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday & Co., 1986

★ H.E. Hinton and A.M.S. Dunn: ''Mongooses: Their Natural History and Behaviour.'' Berkeley: University of California Press, 1967.

References

1. Animals whose importation is banned under the Lacey Act
2. Star Bulletin: Traps set to catch mongoose on Kauai
3. Merriam-Webster: mongoose
4. Animal Diversity Web: ''Herpestes ichneumon''
5. cs.cmu.edu
6. imdb.com
7. standingstone.com

External links