Species group · Mammals
Mongooses
WAnimals has 4 species of mongoose, all 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 entries that record the figure, not from all 4.
All 4 species of mongooses on WAnimals
Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.
Conservation status
No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.
See the global conservation statusWhere they live
Recorded in 52 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:
Where to see them
Did you know…
It can carry rabies without symptoms 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 Yellow Mongoose
Famous for taking on cobras: its agility and a partial resistance to the venom protect it.
From Indian Gray Mongoose
Its nicotinic acetylcholine receptors have a slightly different shape that stops cobra venom from binding, which gives it a partial resistance that does not make it immune.
From Indian Gray Mongoose
It inspired Rudyard Kipling's character Rikki-Tikki-Tavi in The Jungle Book.
From Indian Gray Mongoose
It is the smallest carnivore in Africa.
It eats insects, arachnids, small reptiles and occasionally small rodents.