Mongoose

Mongooses are most commonly found in Africa and Asia. There are three subspecies that are either terestrial (land), semi-aquatic, or "treetop"; meaning they live in trees. They range in size form the seven inch long dwarf mongoose, to the two foot long Egyptian mongoose. The tail alone can range from six to twenty-one inches. They can weigh anywhere from twelve ounces to eleven pounds. Usually, a mongoose has brown or gray fur, and most have striped coats or ringed tails.

A mongooses environment varies everywhere. They do not live in one specific area of Africa or Asia. They are a very spread out species. One thing common about the mongoose, is that they all live in burrows. These burrows are made, or dug if you will, by the mongooses themselves. This keeps them safe from predators while hiding underground. The burrow sizes vary, as well as where they are.

There is no specific mating call for the mongoose. Though this may be, a mongoose will make a noise during the mating ritual. While mating, a mongoose will let out a very high-pitched noise, squeaky noise. When you hear this, you may confuse it as giggling. When female mongooses have to mate, they band together as a community on the same day and all mate.

This species of animals are mainly classified as predators and carnivores, though they are actually omnivores. They feed on small animals (rodents, birds, reptiles, frogs, insects, worms), nuts, fruits, and seeds. These animals may not seem very bright, but are quite creative in hunting skills. They know how to break open birds eggs by throwing them against a hard object and cracking them open. They don't have very many predators besides being hunted by bigger animals like lions, and humans. Because of humans, these animals are a threatened species.