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Dwarf mongoose - HELOGALE PARVULA
Possibly Endangered
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: Much of eastern and southern Africa.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Savanna and scrub.
Description: This is the smallest of all the African mongooses. The general color is speckled reddish brown. There is much variation in coloration, which has resulted in the definition of various races. The short legs are brown, with darker feet. The claws are nonretractile. The tail is short and does not have a dark tip. The head and body are six to nine inches long, with the tail about the same. The weight is about one and a half pounds.
Behavior: This is a gregarious mongoose which lives in large groups of 20 or more individuals. These colonies occupy old termite nests or the burrows of other animals, which the dwarf mongoose adapts to its requirements. It is noisy and constantly busy throughout the day. It issues a wide range of sounds and cries. It will sometimes attack prey as a group. Although it sometimes preys on small rodents, birds, and reptiles, the diet consists mainly of insects. It is not territorial and will sometimes move considerable distances.
Reproduction: After a gestation period of about 50 days, two to four young are born in a hole in the ground or in a hollow in a tree. There are several litters a year. The offspring nurse for about two months and are independent about one month later.
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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