Mongoose | Species & Facts | Britannica

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• Natural history
• Classification

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• Where do mongooses live?
• How do mongooses communicate?
• Do mongooses make good pets?

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External Websites

• Animal Corner - Mongoose
• A-Z Animals - Mongoose
• Animal Diversity Web - Herpestidae
• LiveScience - Mongoose Facts
• PNAS - How the mongoose can fight the snake: the binding site of the mongoose acetylcholine receptor.
• World Animal Foundation - Fascinating Facts About the World�s Mongoose Species

Britannica Websites Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

• mongoose - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• mongoose - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Ask Anything Written by Serge Lariviere Director General, Cree Hunters and Trappers Income Security Board, Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada. Serge Lariviere Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Jan. 23, 2026 •History Contents Ask Anything

Top Questions

What is a mongoose?

A mongoose is any of nearly three dozen species of small bold predatory carnivores found mainly in Africa but also in southern Asia and southern Europe. Mongooses are noted for their audacious attacks on highly venomous snakes, such as king cobras.

What do mongooses eat?

Mongooses eat small mammals, birds, reptiles, eggs, and occasionally fruit. A number of mongooses, especially those of the genus Herpestes, will attack and kill venomous snakes for food.

Where do mongooses live?

Mongooses live mainly in Africa, but they also live in southern Asia and southern Europe. Some species, mainly the Javan mongoose but also the Indian gray mongoose, were introduced to numerous islands, including Mafia Island and Mauritius (off the coast of East Africa), Fiji and Hawaii, and islands of Croatia. More specifically, mongooses tend to be terrestrial and live in burrows.

How do mongooses communicate?

Some species of mongoose are highly social. Within a group, individuals have been observed communicating with one another through discrete units of vocal sounds. Banded mongooses in particular have also been found to secrete scents from their anal and cheek glands in order to communicate their reproductive status or to mark territory.

Do mongooses make good pets?

The importation of mongooses is strictly regulated in some places, such as the United States, because of their potential destructiveness. They are not ideal, or even legal, pets in such places. Some people note that mongooses can exhibit friendly and intelligent behaviour toward humans if domesticated from a young age and can be useful in eradicating household vermin. However, their temperament can be unpredictable, and satisfying their carnivorous appetite can significantly harm local fauna.

mongoose, any of nearly three dozen species of small bold predatory carnivores found mainly in Africa but also in southern Asia and southern Europe. Mongooses are noted for their audacious attacks on highly venomous snakes such as king cobras. The 33 species belong to 14 genera. The most common and probably best-known are the 10 species of the genus Herpestes, among which are the Egyptian mongoose, or ichneumon (H. ichneumon), of Africa and southern Europe and the Indian gray mongoose (H. edwardsi), made famous as Rikki-tikki-tavi in Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Books (1894 and 1895). The meerkat (Suricata suricatta) is also a member of the mongoose family. The colloquial term mongoose may also include Malagasy mongooses—a group of five species found on the island of Madagascar that are closely related to fossas, falanoucs, and fanalokas (the Malagasy civet) and which most sources classify within the family Eupleridae.

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Mongooses are short-legged animals with pointed noses, small ears, and long furry tails. The claws do not retract, and in most species there are five toes on each foot. The fur is gray to brown and is commonly grizzled or flecked with lighter gray. Markings, when present, include stripes, dark legs, and pale or ringed tails. The adult size varies considerably, with the smallest being the dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula), which measures 17–24 cm (7–10 inches) with a 15–20-cm (approximately 6–8-inch) tail. The largest mongoose is the white-tailed mongoose (Ichneumia albicauda), whose body length measures 48–71 cm (about 19–28 inches) long with a tail that may extend up to an additional 47 cm (18.5 inches).

Natural history

Mongooses live in burrows and feed on small mammals, birds, reptiles, eggs, and occasionally fruit. A number of mongooses, especially those of the genus Herpestes, will attack and kill venomous snakes. They depend on speed and agility, darting at the head of the snake and cracking the skull with a powerful bite. Mongooses are bitten occasionally; however, they possess a glycoprotein that binds to proteins in snake venom, deactivating them and making them harmless.

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A number of species are noted for their peculiar habit of opening eggs as well as other food items with hard shells (crabs, mollusks, and nuts). The animal stands on its hind legs and hits the egg against the ground. Sometimes it carries the egg to a rock and, standing with its back to the rock, throws the egg between its legs and against the rock until the shell is broken. Early reports of this behaviour met with skepticism but have been verified by other observers. The Malagasy narrow-striped mongoose (Mungotictis decemlineata) exhibits the same behaviour but lies on its side and uses all four feet to toss the egg.

Most species are active during the day and are terrestrial, although the marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus) and a few others are semiaquatic. Some mongooses live alone or in pairs, but others, such as the banded mongoose (Mungos mungo), dwarf mongooses (genus Helogale), and meerkats, live in large groups. Litters usually consist of two to four young.

Some species, mainly the Javan mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) but also the Indian gray mongoose, were introduced to numerous islands, including Mafia Island (off the coast of East Africa), Mauritius, and those of Croatia, Hawaii, and Fiji. Originally intended to help control rodents and snakes, these introductions were disastrous, because the mongooses severely depleted the populations of native fauna. Because of their potential destructiveness, importation of all mongooses into the United States is strictly regulated.

Related Topics: meerkat Do Mongooses Make Good Pets? Galidiinae Herpestidae tool use (Show more) See all related content

Classification

The presence of an anal scent gland and associated sac is one of the most important anatomical features that differentiates mongooses from members of the family Viverridae—the group of small Old World mammals that contains civets, genets, and linsangs—in which they were formerly classified. The classification below considers the carnivore families Herpestidae and Eupleridae and their subdivisions. According to most classifications, mongooses span family Herpestidae and the Galidiinids (Malagasy mongooses) of family Eupleridae. The euplerid subfamily Euplerinae—made up of fossas, falanoucs, and fanalokas—is also included below; these animals are related to Malagasy mongooses, but they are not considered mongooses.

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• Family Herpestidae (mongooses)33 species in 14 genera of Africa, Madagascar, southern Asia, and southern Europe.
  • Genus Herpestes (common mongooses)10 species of Africa, southern Asia, and southern Europe.
  • Genus Galerella (slender mongooses)4 African species.
  • Genus Bdeogale (black-legged mongooses)3 African species.
  • Genus Crossarchus (cusimanses)4 African species.
  • Genus Helogale (dwarf mongooses)2 African species.
  • Genus Mungos (banded mongooses)2 African species.
  • Genus Atilax (marsh mongoose)1 African species.
  • Genus Cynictis (yellow mongoose)1 species of southern Africa.
  • Genus Dologale (Pousargues’ mongoose)1 species of central Africa.
  • Genus Ichneumia (white-tailed mongoose)1 African species.
  • Genus Liberiictis (Liberian mongoose)1 African species.
  • Genus Paracynictis (Selous’ mongoose)1 species of southern Africa.
  • Genus Rhynchogale (Meller’s mongoose)1 African species.
  • Genus Suricata (meerkat)1 African species.
• Family Eupleridae (Malagasy mongooses, fossas, falanoucs, and fanalokas)8 species in 7 genera belonging to 2 subfamilies of Madagascar.
  • Subfamily Galidiinae (Malagasy mongooses)5 species in 4 genera found only on Madagascar.
    • Genus Galidictis (striped mongooses)2 species.
    • Genus Galidia (ring-tailed mongoose)1 species.
    • Genus Mungotictis (narrow-striped mongoose)1 species.
    • Genus Salanoia (brown-tailed mongoose)1 species.
  • Subfamily Euplerinae (fossas, falanoucs, and fanalokas)3 species in 3 genera found only in Madagascar.
    • Genus Cryptoprocta (fossa)1 species.
    • Genus Eupleres (falanoucs)1 species.
    • Genus Fossa (Malagasy civet or spotted fanaloka) 1 species.

Serge LariviereThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica