A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family is currently split into two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to southern Europe, Africa and Asia, whereas the Mungotinae comprises 11 species native to Africa.[2]
The Herpestidae originated about 21.8 ± 3.6 million years ago in the Early Miocene and genetically diverged into two main genetic lineages between 19.1 and 18.5 ± 3.5 million years ago.[3]
Quick Facts Scientific classification, Type genus ...
Mongoose
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![Thumb](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Mongoose_collection.png/220px-Mongoose_collection.png) |
Top left: Meerkat Top right: Yellow mongoose Bottom left: Slender mongoose Bottom right: Indian gray mongoose |
Scientific classification ![Edit this classification](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr.svg/15px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr.svg.png) |
Domain: |
Eukaryota |
Kingdom: |
Animalia |
Phylum: |
Chordata |
Class: |
Mammalia |
Order: |
Carnivora |
Suborder: |
Feliformia |
Superfamily: |
Herpestoidea |
Family: |
Herpestidae Bonaparte, 1845 |
Type genus |
Herpestes
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Genera[1] |
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![Thumb](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Herpestidae.png/220px-Herpestidae.png) |
Synonyms[1] |
- Rhinogalidae, Gray, 1869
- Suricatinae, Thomas, 1882
- Cynictidae, Cope, 1882
- Suricatidae, Cope, 1882
- Herpestoidei, Winge, 1895
- Mongotidae, Pocock, 1920
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The name is derived from names used in India for Herpestes species:[4][5][6][7]
muṅgūs or maṅgūs in classical Hindi;[8]
muṅgūs in Marathi;[9]
mungisa in Telugu;[10]
mungi, mungisi and munguli in Kannada.[11]
The form of the English name (since 1698) was altered to its "-goose" ending by folk etymology.[12] It was spelled "mungoose" in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The plural form is "mongooses".[13]
Mongooses have long faces and bodies, small, rounded ears, short legs, and long, tapering tails. Most are brindled or grizzly; a few have strongly marked coats which bear a striking resemblance to mustelids. Their nonretractile claws are used primarily for digging. Mongooses, much like goats, have narrow, ovular pupils. Most species have a large anal scent gland, used for territorial marking and signaling reproductive status. The dental formula of mongooses is 3.1.3–4.1–23.1.3–4.1–2.
They range from 24 to 58 cm (9.4 to 22.8 in) in head-to-body length, excluding the tail. In weight, they range from 320 g (11 oz) to 5 kg (11 lb).[14]
Mongooses are one of at least four known mammalian taxa with mutations in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor that protect against snake venom.[15] Their modified receptors prevent the snake venom α-neurotoxin from binding. These represent four separate, independent mutations. In the mongoose, this change is effected, uniquely, by glycosylation.[16]
Herpestina was a scientific name proposed by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1845 who considered the mongooses a subfamily of the Viverridae.[17] In 1864, John Edward Gray classified the mongooses into three subfamilies: Galidiinae, Herpestinae and Mungotinae.[18] This grouping was supported by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1919, who referred to the family as "Mungotidae".[19]
Genetic research based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA analyses revealed that the Galidiinae are more closely related to Madagascar carnivores, including the fossa and Malagasy civet.[20][21] Galidiinae is presently considered a subfamily of Eupleridae.[22]
More information Subfamily, Genus ...
Subfamily | Genus | Species | Image of type species |
Herpestinae |
Herpestes Illiger, 1811[23] |
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![Thumb](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Herpestes_ichneumon_%D0%95%D0%B3%D0%B8%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%82%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B3%D1%83%D1%81%D1%82%2C_%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8_%D1%84%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0_%D0%BA%D1%80%D1%8B%D1%81%D0%B0%2C_%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8_%D0%B8%D1%85%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%BC%D0%BE%CC%81%D0%BD.jpg/220px-Herpestes_ichneumon_%D0%95%D0%B3%D0%B8%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%82%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B3%D1%83%D1%81%D1%82%2C_%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8_%D1%84%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0_%D0%BA%D1%80%D1%8B%D1%81%D0%B0%2C_%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8_%D0%B8%D1%85%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%BC%D0%BE%CC%81%D0%BD.jpg) |
Atilax Cuvier, 1826[29] |
Marsh mongoose (A. paludinosus) (Cuvier, 1829)[30] |
![Thumb](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Marsh_mongoose_or_water_mongoose%2C_Atilax_paludinosus%2C_at_Rietvlei_Nature_Reserve%2C_Gauteng%2C_South_Africa_%2822548192738%29.jpg/220px-Marsh_mongoose_or_water_mongoose%2C_Atilax_paludinosus%2C_at_Rietvlei_Nature_Reserve%2C_Gauteng%2C_South_Africa_%2822548192738%29.jpg) |
Cynictis Ogilby, 1833[31] |
Yellow mongoose (C. penicillata) (Cuvier, 1829)[30] |
![Thumb](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Fuchsmanguste_2.jpg/220px-Fuchsmanguste_2.jpg) |
Urva Hodgson, 1836[32] |
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![Thumb](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Urva_urva_77938111.jpg/220px-Urva_urva_77938111.jpg) |
Ichneumia Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1837[38] |
White-tailed mongoose (I. albicauda) (Cuvier, 1829)[30] |
![Thumb](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/White-tailed_mongoose_%28Ichneumia_albicauda%29%2C_crop.jpg/220px-White-tailed_mongoose_%28Ichneumia_albicauda%29%2C_crop.jpg) |
Bdeogale Peters, 1850[39] |
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![Thumb](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Bushy-tailed_mongoose_-_Snapshot_Safari_Ruaha1.jpg/220px-Bushy-tailed_mongoose_-_Snapshot_Safari_Ruaha1.jpg) |
Rhynchogale Thomas, 1894[45] |
Meller's mongoose (R. melleri) Gray, 1865[18] |
![Thumb](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Smit.m.rhinogale.melleri.white.background.jpg/220px-Smit.m.rhinogale.melleri.white.background.jpg) |
Paracynictis Pocock, 1916 |
Selous's mongoose (P. selousi) (de Winton, 1896) |
![Thumb](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Paracynictis_selousi_Smit.jpg/220px-Paracynictis_selousi_Smit.jpg) |
Xenogale Allen, 1919[46] |
Long-nosed mongoose (X. naso) (de Winton, 1901)[47] |
![Thumb](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/Long-nosed_mongoose_%28without_bg%29.png/220px-Long-nosed_mongoose_%28without_bg%29.png) |
Mungotinae |
Mungos E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire & F. Cuvier, 1795[48] |
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![Thumb](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Banded_mongoose_%28Mungos_mungo%29.jpg/220px-Banded_mongoose_%28Mungos_mungo%29.jpg) |
Suricata Desmarest, 1804[51] |
Meerkat (S. suricatta) (Schreber, 1776)[52] |
![Thumb](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/Meerkat_%28Suricata_suricatta%29_%2832993685706%29.jpg/220px-Meerkat_%28Suricata_suricatta%29_%2832993685706%29.jpg) |
Crossarchus Cuvier, 1825 |
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![Thumb](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Crossarchus_obscurus_Plzen_zoo_02.2011.jpg/220px-Crossarchus_obscurus_Plzen_zoo_02.2011.jpg) |
Helogale Gray, 1861 |
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![Thumb](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Helogale_parvula%2C_Serengeti.jpg/220px-Helogale_parvula%2C_Serengeti.jpg) |
Dologale Thomas, 1920 |
Pousargues's mongoose (D. dybowskii) Pousargues, 1894[53] |
![Thumb](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Dologale_Dybowskii_-_Chinko_Project_Area_-_20120516.jpg/220px-Dologale_Dybowskii_-_Chinko_Project_Area_-_20120516.jpg) |
Liberiictis Hayman, 1958 |
Liberian mongoose (L. kuhni) Hayman, 1958 |
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Phylogenetic relationships
Phylogenetic research of 18 mongoose species revealed that the solitary and social mongooses form different clades.[54]
The phylogenetic relationships of Herpestidae are shown in the following cladogram:[55][3]
Herpestidae |
Herpestinae |
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Mungotinae |
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Suricata |
Suricata suricatta (Meerkat) ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/MeerkatAtHappyHollow_white_background.jpg/20px-MeerkatAtHappyHollow_white_background.jpg) |
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Extinct species
Atilax Cuvier, 1826
Herpestes Illiger, 1811
Leptoplesictis Major, 1903[56]
- †L. atavus Beaumont, 1973
- †L. aurelianensis Schlosser, 1888
- †L. filholi Gaillard, 1899
- †L. mbitensis Schmidt-Kittler, 1987
- †L. namibiensis Morales et al., 2008
- †L. peignei, Grohé et al., 2020
- †L. rangwai Schmidt-Kittler, 1987
- †L. senutae Morales et al., 2008
Mongooses mostly feed on insects, crabs, earthworms, lizards, birds, and rodents. However, they also eat eggs and carrion.[57]
Some species can learn simple tricks. They can be tamed and are kept as pets to control vermin.[58]
In ancient Mesopotamia, mongooses were sacred to the deity Ninkilim, who was conflated with Ningirama, a deity of magic who was invoked for protection against serpents. According to a Babylonian popular saying, when a mouse fled from a mongoose into a serpent's hole, it announced, "I bring you greetings from the snake-charmer!" A creature resembling a mongoose also appears in Old Babylonian glyptic art, but its significance is not known.[59]
All mongoose species, except for Suricata suricatta, are classed as a "prohibited new organism" under New Zealand's Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996, preventing them from being imported into the country.[60]
| This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2020) |
A well-known fictional mongoose is Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, who appears in a short story of the same title in The Jungle Book (1894) by Rudyard Kipling. In this tale set in India, a young pet mongoose saves his human family from a krait and from Nag and Nagaina, two cobras. The story was later made into several films and a song by Donovan, among other references. A mongoose is also featured in Bram Stoker's novel The Lair of the White Worm. The main character, Adam Salton, purchases one to independently hunt snakes. Another mongoose features in the denouement of the Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Crooked Man", by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Indian Tamil devotional film Padai Veetu Amman shows Tamil actor Vinu Chakravarthy changing himself into a mongoose by using his evil tantric mantra, to fight the goddess Amman. However, the mongoose finally dies at the hands of the goddess.
Mongoose species are prohibited to be kept as pets in the United States.[61]
Gilchrist, J.S.; Jennings, A.P.; Veron, G. & Cavallini, P. (2009). "Family Herpestidae (Mongooses)". In Wilson, D. E. & Mittermeier, R. A. (eds.). Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Vol. 1. Carnivores. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. pp. 262–328. ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1. Valentini, M.B. & Major, J.D. (1714). "Viverra Indica grysea. Mungos". Museum museorum, oder, Vollständige Schau Bühne aller Materialien und Specereyen. Vol. 2 Appendix IX. Franckfurt am Mayn: Johann David Zunners Sel. Erben, und Johann Adam Jungen. p. 24. Jerdon, T.C. (1874). "127. Herpestes griseus". The mammals of India; a natural history of all the animals known to inhabit continental India. London: J. Wheldon. pp. 132–134. Reeve, W. & Sanderson, D. (1858). "ಮುಂಗಿ, ಮುಂಗಿಸಿ, ಮುಂಗುಲಿ". A dictionary, Canarese and English (Revised, corrected and enlarged ed.). Bangalore: Wesleyan Mission Press. p. 787. Hinton, H. E. & Dunn, A. M. S. (1967). "Preface". Mongooses: Their Natural History and Behaviour. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. v. OCLC 1975837. Macdonald, D., ed. (2009). The Encyclopedia of Mammals. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 660. ISBN 978-0-19-956799-7. Barchan, D.; Kachalsky, S., Neumann, D., Vogel, Z., Ovadia, M., Kochva, E. and Fuchs, S. (1992). "How the mongoose can fight the snake: the binding site of the mongoose acetylcholine receptor" (PDF). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 89 (16): 7717–7721. Bibcode:1992PNAS...89.7717B. doi:10.1073/pnas.89.16.7717. PMC 49782. PMID 1380164.{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Bonaparte, C. L. (1845). "Fam. VII. Viverridae". Catalogo Methodico dei Mammiferi Europei. Milan, Italy: L. di Giacomo Pirola. p. 8. Linnaeus, C. (1758). "Viverra ichneumon". Caroli Linnæi Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Vol. Tomus I (Decima, reformata ed.). Holmiae: Laurentius Salvius. p. 41. (in Latin) Cuvier, F. G. (1826). "Vansire". In E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire; Cuvier, F. G. (eds.). Histoire Naturelle des Mammifères: avec des figures originales, coloriées, dessinées d'aprèsdes animaux vivans. Tome 5. Paris: A. Belin. p. LIV. Cuvier, G. (1829). "Les Mangoustes. Cuv. (Herpestes, Illiger)". Le règne animal distribué d'après son organisation, pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparée. Paris: Chez Déterville. pp. 157–158. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, É. (1817). "De l'Ichneumon. Ichneumon pharaon". In Jomard, E. F. (ed.). Description de l'Égypte, ou, Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l'éxpédition de l'armée française. Vol. Tome II. Paris: Commission des Sciences et Arts d'Egypte. pp. 137–144. Gray, J.E. (1846). "New species of Mammalia". The Annals and Magazine of Natural History; Zoology, Botany, and Geology. 18 (118): 211–212. Peters, W. (1850). "Bdeogale". Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin: 94. Gmelin, J. F. (1788). "Viverra mungo". Caroli a Linné, Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Vol. I (13th aucta, reformata ed.). Lipsiae: Georg Emanuel Beer. pp. 84–85. Desmarest, A. G. (1804). "Genre Surikate, Suricata Nob.". In Deterville, J. F. P. (ed.). Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle appliquée aux arts: principalement à l'agriculture et à l'économie rurale et domestique. Vol. 24. Paris: Deterville. p. 15. Schreber, J. C. D. (1776). "Viverra suricata". Die Säugethiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur, mit Beschreibungen. Erlangen: Expedition des Schreber'schen Säugthier- und des Esper'schen Schmetterlingswerkes. p. CVII. Cronk, N. E.; Pillay, N. (2018). "Food choice and feeding on carrion in two African mongoose species in an urban environment". Acta Ethologica. 21 (2): 127–136. doi:10.1007/s10211-018-0291-x. S2CID 21688548.
- Rasa, A. (1986). Mongoose Watch: A Family Observed. Garden City, N.Y.: Anchor Press, Doubleday & Co. ISBN 978-0-385-23175-6. OCLC 12664019.
- Lodrick, D. O. (1982). "Man and Mongoose in Indian Culture". Anthropos. 77 (1/2): 191–214. JSTOR 40460438.