Species group · Mammals
Mongooses
WAnimals has 4 species of mongoose, in the family Herpestidae.
- 4 species
- 1 family
- 52 countries
- 111 parks
- Weight
- 213 g – 2.3 kg
- Length
- 16 cm – 46 cm
- Lifespan
- 7 – 13 years
Ranges calculated from the profiles that record the figure, not from all 4.
All 4 species of mongooses on WAnimals
Each one has its own full profile. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.
Conservation status
4 Least Concern
No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.
Where they live
Recorded in 52 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:
Where to see them
Did you know…?
It is the smallest carnivore in Africa.
It eats insects, arachnids, small reptiles and occasionally small rodents.
It lives in dry grassland, open woodland and scrub of eastern and southern Africa, near termite mounds.
Every female in the group gives birth on the same day, or within a few hours of each other: because all the young are born at once, no mother can recognise her own and they all feed the common litter indiscriminately.
From Banded Mongoose
Each pup pairs up with an unrelated adult that acts as a personal escort for weeks, teaching it to find food and protecting it.
From Banded Mongoose
It can carry rabies asymptomatically for years without falling ill.
From Yellow Mongoose
It lives in colonies in clean underground burrows.
From Yellow Mongoose
It feeds mainly on beetles and termites.
From