Hobbies And Interests
Marsh Mongoose
The marsh mongoose, as its name suggests, mostly makes its home in freshwater swamps. They are highly intelligent carnivores, having been observed throwing snails against rocks to get at the meat inside the shells, as well as luring birds to eat with its bright pink rear end. They are solitary creatures.
Kusimanse
Though a type of mongoose, kusimanse are similar in shape to an opossum, with large eyes and a long snout. They are 13 inches long when fully grown, with dark brown or speckled fur. Kusimanse live in small groups, using clicks, whistles and chirps to communicate with one another.
Yellow Mongoose
The yellow mongoose, also called the red meerkat, lives in grasslands near the southern tip of Africa. They live in colonies underground, sharing space with other yellow mongoose as well as Cape ground squirrels and meerkats. The mongoose and the meerkats share maintenance of the burrows.
Slender Mongoose
One of the most common species of mongoose in Africa, slender mongooses are opportunistic omnivores, with a diet that includes snakes, birds, insects, rodents and the occasional piece of fruit. They are found all throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Close relatives include the Cape Gray mongoose and the Angolan slender mongoose.
Dwarf Mongoose
The smallest form of mongoose, the dwarf mongoose eats mostly insects. They are only 7 to 12 inches long, and their soft fur ranges from reddish-yellow to dark brown. Like meerkats, they are highly social, living in groups from two to 30.
Indian Gray Mongoose
The Indian gray mongoose, along with its cousin the small Asian mongoose, is a species of Asian mongoose that is famous for its enmity with snakes and its ability to take down a cobra. These feisty critters have been imported to various islands -- such as Okinawa -- in an attempt to control their rat and snake populations, but unfortunately they have a bigger appetite for local birds and various endangered species.
White-Tailed Mongoose
The white-tailed mongoose is the largest mongoose species known, up to 45 inches long from tip to tail. Unlike meerkats, they are fairly solitary and are active primarily at night. When cornered or frightened, they release a noxious fluid from their rears.
Banded Mongoose
Banded mongoose are easily distinguished from their cousins by their banded fur pattern and roundish shape. They live in African savannas in groups and are primarily insectivores. They prefer to sleep in abandoned termite mounds, but if no shelter is found, they will pile up on each other with their heads facing outward.
Madagascar Mongooses
Though not in the mongoose family, members of the Eupleridae subfamily Galidiinae are often referred to as mongooses, and they descended from a common ancestor. Examples include the ring-tailed mongoose and the Grandidier's mongoose, which has bold stripes along its back. Also included in the family Euplerdae are fossa, animals which resemble a cross between a weasel and a large cat.