Mammals · Carnivora · Herpestidae

Banded Mongoose

Mungos mungo

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The banded mongoose lives in very tight-knit groups of between ten and forty individuals that sleep in abandoned termite mounds and go out together to look for food during the day. Its name comes from the dark transverse bands across its back. It feeds above all on beetles and other invertebrates, which it finds by digging through leaf litter and under dung. It is one of the key species in studies of cooperation and conflict in social mammals, with decades-long monitoring in Uganda.

Weight

1.5 kg – 2.3 kg

Size

30 cm – 45 cm

Lifespan

10 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

SavannaGrasslandInsectivore Diurnal Colonial Savanna Grassland Mammal

43countries 62parks5same family

Fun facts

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.
Each pup pairs up with an unrelated adult that acts as a personal escort for weeks, teaching it to find food and protecting it.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Savannah, open woodland and scrub with termite mounds and rocky outcrops of sub-Saharan Africa
Sexual maturity: 9.5 months
Gestation / incubation: 2 months
Litter / clutch size: 2.5 (average)

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mungos_mungo