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Banded Mongoose
Mungos mungo
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Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Herpestidae
Subfamily: Herpestinae
Genus Mungos
Species: mungo
It prefers the wide spaces where the grass is short. Grasslands, brush lands, woodlands, rocky country; Gambia to NE Ethiopia and south to South Africa. The dry zones of Western and Eastern Africa. It is also found in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia.
Male: 400 to 900 grams
Female: 350 to 500 grams
Height 45 cm. Tail length 28 cm.
Color: coat brownish-gray • feet dark brown to black • tail tip black • back dark brown bands
Claws: long • non-retractile • used for digging
Feet: 4 - 5 digits
Very sociable animals; running in packs of about 20 individuals and occasionally as many as 50. Members of a pack often follow one another very closely and move like a huge snake winding through grass or undergrowth. They are quite noisy and their wide range of sounds include crooning, high-pitched twittering cries, bird-like whistling, and a particular chittering when alarmed. When angered, they growl harshly and utter slight barking sounds. These animals are diurnal. Its enemies are big predators, mainly: jackals, hyenas and leopards, but birds of prey are probably their main enemies.
Lifespan: wild 10 yrs • captivity 17 yrs (record)
Sexual Maturity: female 9 - 10 mos.
Courtship: male chases female & circles her with tail held high
Mating: copulation 10 min • female may be mated by several males within group & by males of foreign group during pack clashes
Gestation: 2 mos.
Litter: 2 - 6
Birth: in den
Young: Altricial: blind • helpless • very small
Parenting: newborn suckled by any lactating female in den • male plays important role in guarding young before they accompany pack • generally single animal (male or female) stays behind when pack goes foraging
Weaning: young travel with pack by ~5 weeks
Birth Interval: generally 4 times per year
They are carnivores, but will occasionally eat fruit also.
Wild:
They go after mostly insects such as: beetles, crabs, earthworms, grasshoppers, millipedes. But they will also go after mammals and their eggs: reptile eggs, rodents, scorpions, slugs, snails round birds & their eggs, snakes & termites. Of course there is the occasional fallen fruit as well.
*Stealing an egg*
Zoo:
In zoos the nutritionally accurate copy of their natural diet, and most commonly used, are apples, carnivore diet, high protein dog chow.
*Interesting Fact*
Never say never, Sometimes animals will surprise you!
Banded Mongoose Pack Chases Lion
"A pride of Lion were resting beneath a Balanites tree at 10h00, about midway between Grumeti and Seronera in the Serengeti. Nearby, a pack of about 25 Banded Mongoose were foraging on the ground. Suddenly, one of the lions - a sub-adult female - got up and dashed towards the mongooses. The pack of small carnivores bolted at first, but then did an about turn and ran directly at the lion. Startled by the surprise move, the lioness turned tail as it was pursued for about 20m by the mongooses. Once they were confident that the lion would no longer interfere with their activity, the mongooses continued foraging. Meanwhile, the rest of the lions continued dozing in the shade." (Wildlife Encounters, Wild watch)
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Small Carnivore TAG Education Liaison e-mail
Mongoose Links:
Oregon Zoo Banded Mongoose Page
Page created by: Sandra D.
Barsczewski,
PJC Zoo Animal Technology Program
Fall 2001
