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Egyptian mongoose - HERPESTES ICHNEUMON
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Mongoose": "Mongoose" comes from the Marathi language of India, and their word "mangus" for the animal.
Location: Africa, Spain, Israel.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Weeded savanna and scrub; never very far from water.
Description: Largest of the African mongooses, its coat is long, especially on the sides of the body, and coarse. It has a uniformly grizzled appearance. The coat appears to be brownish-gray due to contrasting fur colors. The flanks and underparts are buff-colored. The tail is long, bushy at the base, and tapers down to a dark tuft at the tip. It has a reasonably strong, slightly curved, nonretractile claws on each foot. The length of the head and body is 21 to 26 inches, with a tail of about 20 inches. The weight is four to seven pounds.
Behavior: This terrestrial mongoose is active by day and night. It digs holes in the ground to serve as burrows and temporary resting places. Generally it is solitary, but small family groups may be formed. When in a group, they travel in single file, with each individual almost holding onto the tail of the one in front. It feeds on all kinds of small animals, and can cause damage to domestic poultry. It will also eat fish and crabs.
Reproduction: After a gestation period of about two months, two to four young are born, which are nursed for about two weeks.
Go to the Carnivore Page to learn more about all the meat-eating animals.
Or go to the Mongoose Index to study other
mongooses.
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