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Mongoose

Mongoose

Overview
Mongoose are a family of 33 living species of small carnivora
Carnivora
The diverse order Carnivora |Latin]] carō "flesh", + vorāre "to devour") includes over 260 species of placental mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word "carnivore" can refer to any meat-eating animal...

ns from southern Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...

 and mainland Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

. Four additional species from Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

 in the subfamily Galidiinae
Galidiinae
Galidiinae is a subfamily of carnivorans restricted to Madagascar which includes six species classified into four genera. Together with the three other species of indigenous Malagasy carnivorans, including the fossa, they are currently classified in the family Eupleridae within the suborder...

, which were previously classified in this family, are also referred to as "mongooses" or "mongoose-like". Genetic evidence indicates that the Galidiinae are more closely related to other Madagascar carnivorans in the family Eupleridae
Eupleridae
The family Eupleridae is a group of carnivorans endemic to Madagascar and comprising 10 known species in seven genera. Probably the best known species is the Fossa , in the subfamily Euplerinae...

, which is the closest living group to the true mongooses.
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Encyclopedia
Mongoose are a family of 33 living species of small carnivora
Carnivora
The diverse order Carnivora |Latin]] carō "flesh", + vorāre "to devour") includes over 260 species of placental mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word "carnivore" can refer to any meat-eating animal...

ns from southern Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...

 and mainland Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

. Four additional species from Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

 in the subfamily Galidiinae
Galidiinae
Galidiinae is a subfamily of carnivorans restricted to Madagascar which includes six species classified into four genera. Together with the three other species of indigenous Malagasy carnivorans, including the fossa, they are currently classified in the family Eupleridae within the suborder...

, which were previously classified in this family, are also referred to as "mongooses" or "mongoose-like". Genetic evidence indicates that the Galidiinae are more closely related to other Madagascar carnivorans in the family Eupleridae
Eupleridae
The family Eupleridae is a group of carnivorans endemic to Madagascar and comprising 10 known species in seven genera. Probably the best known species is the Fossa , in the subfamily Euplerinae...

, which is the closest living group to the true mongooses.

Name


The word mongoose is derived from the Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...

 name , perhaps ultimately from Dravidian
Dravidian languages
The Dravidian language family includes approximately 85 genetically related languages, spoken by about 217 million people. They are mainly spoken in southern India and parts of eastern and central India as well as in northeastern Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran, and...

 (cf. Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...

  , Kannada  . The form of the English name (since 1698) was altered to its -goose ending by folk-etymology. It has no etymological connection with the word goose. The plural form is mongooses, or, rarely, mongeese. It has also been spelled mungoose.

Description


Mongooses live in southern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

, and southern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, as well as some Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

 and Hawaiian
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...

 islands, where they are an introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...

.

There are more than thirty species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

, ranging from 1–4 ft (0.3048–1.2 ) in length. Mongoose range in weight from the squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...

-sized Common Dwarf Mongoose, at 10 oz (283.5 g), to the cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...

-sized White-tailed Mongoose
White-tailed Mongoose
The White-tailed Mongoose is the largest species of mongoose. It is the only member of the genus Ichneumia.-Range and Habitat:...

, at 9 lb (4.1 kg).

Some species lead predominantly solitary lives, seeking out food only for themselves, while others travel in groups, sharing food among group members.

Anatomy



Mongooses bear a striking resemblance to mustelids, having long faces and bodies, small rounded ear
Ear
The ear is the organ that detects sound. It not only receives sound, but also aids in balance and body position. The ear is part of the auditory system....

s, short legs, and long tapering tail
Tail
The tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds...

s. Most are brindled or grizzly; few have strongly marked coats. They have non-retractile claws that are used primarily for digging. Mongooses, much like goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...

s, have narrow, ovular pupils. Most species have a large anal scent gland, used for territorial marking and signaling reproductive status. The dental formula
Dentition
Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age...

 of mongooses is similar to that of viverrids:.
Mongooses also have receptors for acetylcholine
Acetylcholine
The chemical compound acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter in both the peripheral nervous system and central nervous system in many organisms including humans...

 that, like the receptors in snakes, are shaped so that it is impossible for snake neurotoxin
Neurotoxin
A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells , usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels. Some sources are more general, and define the effect of neurotoxins as occurring at nerve tissue...

 venom to attach to them. Researchers are investigating whether similar mechanisms protect the mongoose from hemotoxic
Hemotoxin
Hemotoxins, haemotoxins or hematotoxins are toxins that destroy red blood cells , disrupt blood clotting, and/or cause organ degeneration and generalized tissue damage. The term hemotoxin is to some degree a misnomer since toxins that damage the blood also damage other tissues...

 snake venoms.

Weasel lookalike


The mongoose has a very similar appearance to the weasel
Weasel
Weasels are mammals forming the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. They are small, active predators, long and slender with short legs....

, despite not being closely related. Their long sleek bodies and short fur fit them for similar ecological niches. They live in similar climates and both burrow underground. Like weasels, mongooses also have short legs and tails.

Life history


In contrast to the arboreal, nocturnal viverrids, mongooses are more commonly terrestrial and many are active during the day.

The Egyptian Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) is sometimes held as an example of a solitary mongoose, though it has been observed to work in groups.

The Meerkat
Meerkat
The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan"...

 or Suricate (Suricata suricatta), a smaller species, lives in troops of 20 to 30 consisting of an alpha
Alpha (biology)
In social animals, the alpha is the individual in the community with the highest rank. Where one male and one female fulfill this role, they are referred to as the alpha pair...

 male and female, usually together with their siblings and offspring, in open country in Southern Africa (Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

, Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

, Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...

, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

). The Meerkat is a small, diurnal mammal that forages for invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...

s in open country. Its behavior and small size (it weighs less than 2 pound (0.90718474 kg) make it vulnerable to larger carnivores and birds of prey. However, it eats small, migrating birds.

To protect the foraging troops from predators, one Meerkat serves as a sentinel
Sentinel
-Guards:* Border guard, a state agent who controls the security at borders* Honor guard, a ceremonial escort-Places:* Sentinel, California* Sentinel, Oklahoma* Sentinel Island * Sentinel Islands, a pair of islands in the Andaman Islands...

 that climbs to a vantage point and watches for danger. If the sentinel detects a predator it gives a loud alarm to warn the troop and indicate whether the threat comes from the air or the ground. If from the air, the meerkats rush to the nearest hole. If from the ground, the troop flees, but they are more able to evade terrestrial predators than raptors.

Diet


Mongooses mostly feed on insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...

s, crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...

s, earthworm
Earthworm
Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...

s, lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...

s, snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...

s, chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...

s, and rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....

s. However, they also eat egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...

s and carrion
Carrion
Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters include vultures, hawks, eagles, hyenas, Virginia Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, coyotes, Komodo dragons, and burying beetles...

.

The Indian Mongoose and others are well-known for their ability to fight and kill venomous snake
Venomous snake
"Poisonous snake" redirects here. For true poisonous snakes, see Rhabdophis.Venomous snakes are snakes which have venom glands and specialized teeth for the injection of venom...

s, particularly cobra
Cobra
Cobra is a venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. However, not all snakes commonly referred to as cobras are of the same genus, or even of the same family. The name is short for cobra capo or capa Snake, which is Portuguese for "snake with hood", or "hood-snake"...

s. They are adept at such tasks due to their agility, thick coat, and mutated acetylcholine
Acetylcholine
The chemical compound acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter in both the peripheral nervous system and central nervous system in many organisms including humans...

 receptors, which render them resistant or immune to snake venom. They typically avoid the cobra and have no particular affinity for consuming its meat.

Some species can learn simple tricks. They can be domesticated
Domestication
Domestication or taming is the process whereby a population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control. In the Convention on Biological Diversity a domesticated species is defined as a 'species in which the evolutionary process has been...

 and are kept as pets to control vermin
Vermin
Vermin is a term applied to various animal species regarded by some as pests or nuisances and especially to those associated with the carrying of disease. Since the term is defined in relation to human activities, which species are included will vary from area to area and even person to person...

. However, they can be more destructive than desired: when imported into the West Indies
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

 to kill rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...

s and snakes, they destroyed most of the small, ground-based fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...

. For this reason, it is illegal to import most species of mongoose into the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, and other countries. Mongooses were introduced to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

 in 1883, and have had a significant negative effect on native species.

Reproduction


The mongoose emits a high-pitched noise, commonly known as giggling, when it mates. Giggling is also heard during courtship.

Relationship with humans


Mongooses are a common spectacle at roadside shows in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

. Snake charmers
Snake charming
Snake charming is the practice of pretending to hypnotise a snake by playing an instrument. A typical performance may also include handling the snakes or performing other seemingly dangerous acts, as well as other street performance staples, like juggling and sleight of hand...

 keep mongooses for mock fights with snakes. In Okinawa
Okinawa Prefecture
is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...

, mongooses fight habu
Habu
' is a Japanese name used to refer to certain venomous snakes:Snakes:* The following species are found in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan:** Trimeresurus elegans, a.k.a. the Sakishima habu, found in the southern Ryukyu Islands...

, or vipers (a local, venomous member of the Trimeresurus
Trimeresurus
Trimeresurus is a genus of venomous pitvipers found in Asia from Pakistan, through India, China, throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Currently 35 species are recognized...

species), in a closed perimeter while spectators watch. However, due to pressure from animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...

 activists, the spectacle is less common today.

According to Greek historian Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus was a Greek historian who flourished between 60 and 30 BC. According to Diodorus' own work, he was born at Agyrium in Sicily . With one exception, antiquity affords no further information about Diodorus' life and doings beyond what is to be found in his own work, Bibliotheca...

 (1.35 & 1.87), Egyptians venerated native mongooses (Herpestes ichneumon) for their ability to handle venomous snakes and for their occasional diet of crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...

 eggs.

The Buddhist god of wealth Vaiśravaṇa
Vaisravana
' or ' also known as Jambhala in Tibet and Bishamonten in Japan is the name of the chief of the Four Heavenly Kings and an important figure in Buddhist mythology.-Names:...

, or Dzambala for Tibetans, is frequently depicted holding a mongoose that is spitting jewels from its mouth.

Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...

's story "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is a short story in The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling about the adventures of a valiant young mongoose.The story is notable for its frightening and serious tone. It has often been anthologised and has also been published more than once as a short book in its own right...

" features a pet mongoose that saves its human family from two deadly cobra
Cobra
Cobra is a venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. However, not all snakes commonly referred to as cobras are of the same genus, or even of the same family. The name is short for cobra capo or capa Snake, which is Portuguese for "snake with hood", or "hood-snake"...

s. The story was later made into several films.

A mongoose also features in Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker
Abraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula...

's novel, The Lair of the White Worm. The main character, Adam Salton, purchases one to independently hunt snakes.

Mongooses were used in research into creating artificial skin
Artificial skin
Artificial skin can refer to skin grown in a laboratory that can be used as skin replacement for people who have suffered skin trauma such as severe burns or skin diseases.Alternatively, it can also refer to skin synthetically produced for other purposes....

. Mongooses were given grafts of a polytetrafluoroethylene
Polytetrafluoroethylene
Polytetrafluoroethylene is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that finds numerous applications. PTFE is most well known by the DuPont brand name Teflon....

-based polymer in an attempt to create a semi-permeable skin-like membrane which could be used to treat burn victims.

Taxonomy


Like other feliformia
Feliformia
The Feliformia are a suborder within the order Carnivora and includes cats , hyenas, mongooses, civets and related taxa. The other suborder of Carnivora is Caniformia...

n carnivorans, mongooses descended from the viverravines
Miacoidea
Miacoidea is paraphyletic superfamily that had been traditionally divided into two families of carnivores: Miacidae and Viverravidae. Miacoids were primitive carnivores which lived during the Paleocene and Eocene Epoch about 33-65 million years ago...

, which were civet
Civet
The family Viverridae is made up of around 30 species of medium-sized mammal, including all of the genets, the binturong, most of the civets, and the two African linsangs....

- or genet
Genet (animal)
Genets are Old World mammals from the order Carnivora, family Viverridae, related to civets and linsangs. All species are contained within the genus Genetta, although the Aquatic Genet is sometimes housed in its own genus Osbornictis....

–like mammals. Older classifications sometimes placed mongooses in the Viverridae family, but both morphological and molecular evidence speaks against the monophyly
Monophyly
In common cladistic usage, a monophyletic group is a taxon which forms a clade, meaning that it contains all the descendants of the possibly hypothetical closest common ancestor of the members of the group. The term is synonymous with the uncommon term holophyly...

 of this group, though they do have the same basic dental formula as the viverrids. Mongooses also have characteristic behavioral features that distinguish them from viverrids and other feliformian families. Less diverse than the viverrids, the mongoose family includes 14 genera and 33 species.

The Helogale pervula (common dwarf mongoose) is closely related to the family Hyaenidae (hyenas), Viverridae (civets) and Felidae (cats). The species that come from their common ancestor also relate them more closely to canines than to the family Mustelidae
Mustelidae
Mustelidae , commonly referred to as the weasel family, are a family of carnivorous mammals. Mustelids are diverse and the largest family in the order Carnivora, at least partly because in the past it has been a catch-all category for many early or poorly differentiated taxa...

, which contains weasel
Weasel
Weasels are mammals forming the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. They are small, active predators, long and slender with short legs....

s, badger
Badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...

s and otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....

s.

Genetic evidence indicates that the family Eupleridae
Eupleridae
The family Eupleridae is a group of carnivorans endemic to Madagascar and comprising 10 known species in seven genera. Probably the best known species is the Fossa , in the subfamily Euplerinae...

, is the closest living group to mongooses. Eupleridae contains the species Fossa
Fossa (animal)
The fossa is a cat-like, carnivorous mammal that is endemic to Madagascar. It is a member of the Eupleridae, a family of carnivorans closely related to the mongoose family . Its classification has been controversial because its physical traits resemble those of cats, yet other traits suggest a...

.

Genetic evidence from several nuclear
Nuclear DNA
Nuclear DNA, nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid , is DNA contained within a nucleus of eukaryotic organisms. In mammals and vertebrates, nuclear DNA encodes more of the genome than the mitochondrial DNA and is composed of information inherited from two parents, one male, and one female, rather than...

 and mitochondrial
Mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria, structures within eukaryotic cells that convert the chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, adenosine triphosphate...

 genes argues against placing Malagasy Galidiinae
Galidiinae
Galidiinae is a subfamily of carnivorans restricted to Madagascar which includes six species classified into four genera. Together with the three other species of indigenous Malagasy carnivorans, including the fossa, they are currently classified in the family Eupleridae within the suborder...

 in the mongoose family; instead, these species are more closely related to other Madagascar carnivorans, including the Fossa and Malagasy civet. As a result, this subfamily was moved out of Herpestidae and re-located to Eupleridae
Eupleridae
The family Eupleridae is a group of carnivorans endemic to Madagascar and comprising 10 known species in seven genera. Probably the best known species is the Fossa , in the subfamily Euplerinae...

.

Classification

  • FAMILY HERPESTIDAE
    • Genus Atilax
      Marsh Mongoose
      The Marsh Mongoose, or Water Mongoose, is a medium-sized mammal but a large mongoose. Weight can range from , with an average range of . From the head to the base of the tail, these animals range from , with the tail adding . It is a member of the mongoose family and the only member of its genus...

      • Marsh Mongoose
        Marsh Mongoose
        The Marsh Mongoose, or Water Mongoose, is a medium-sized mammal but a large mongoose. Weight can range from , with an average range of . From the head to the base of the tail, these animals range from , with the tail adding . It is a member of the mongoose family and the only member of its genus...

        , Atilax paludinosus
    • Genus Bdeogale
      Bdeogale
      Bdeogale is a genus of three species of mongoose native to the rainforests of central and western Africa. They are primarily terrestrial and insectivorous.- Species :*Bushy-tailed Mongoose, Bdeogale crassicauda - Kenya and Tanzania...

      • Bushy-tailed Mongoose
        Bushy-tailed Mongoose
        The Bushy-tailed Mongoose is mammal in the Herpestidae found in central Africa, from southern Kenya to central Mozambique.They are 40–50 cm long; mass 0.9–1.6 kg and feed on small birds and eggs....

        , Bdeogale crassicauda
      • Jackson's Mongoose
        Jackson's Mongoose
        Jackson's Mongoose is a species of mongoose belonging to the genus Bdeogale. Discovered in 1889 by Frederick John Jackson, Oldfield Thomas in 1894 described it as Galeriscus jacksoni...

        , Bdeogale jacksoni
      • Black-footed Mongoose
        Black-footed Mongoose
        The Black-footed Mongoose is a species of Mongoose found in central Africa. Unlike most similar species, the black-footed mongoose has only 4 toes on each limb rather than 5.-References:...

        , Bdeogale nigripes
      • Sokoke Bushy-tailed Mongoose, Bdeogale omnivora
    • Genus Crossarchus
      Crossarchus
      Crossarchus is a genus of mongoose, commonly referred to as the kusimanse, mangue, or dwarf mongoose.-Range and habitat:...

      • Alexander's Kusimanse, Crossarchus alexandri
      • Angolan Kusimanse, Crossarchus ansorgei
      • Common Kusimanse, Crossarchus obscurus
      • Flat-headed Kusimanse, Crossarchus platycephalus
    • Genus Cynictis
      • Yellow Mongoose
        Yellow Mongoose
        The Yellow Mongoose , sometimes referred to as the Red Meerkat, is a small mammal averaging about 1 lb in weight and about 20 in in length...

        , Cynictis penicillata
    • Genus Dologale
      • Pousargues' Mongoose, Dologale dybowskii
    • Genus Galerella
      Galerella
      Galerella is a genus of mongooses native to Africa commonly called the slender mongooses.There are four species in this genus:* Angolan Slender Mongoose, Galerella flavescens* Somalian Slender Mongoose, Galerella ochracea...

      • Angolan Slender Mongoose, Galerella flavescens
      • Somali Slender Mongoose, Galerella ochracea
      • Cape Gray Mongoose, Galerella pulverulenta
      • Slender Mongoose
        Slender Mongoose
        The Slender Mongoose , also known as the Black-tipped Mongoose or the Black-tailed Mongoose, is a very common species of mongoose.-Range and habitat:...

        , Galerella sanguinea
    • Genus Helogale
      Helogale
      Helogale is a genus of two species of mongooses, namely the Common Dwarf Mongoose and Ethiopian Dwarf Mongoose. They are the smallest species of mongoose and both are endemic to Africa. The distribution of the latter species is more tropical, and overlaps completely with that of the Common Dwarf...

      • Ethiopian Dwarf Mongoose, Helogale hirtula
      • Common Dwarf Mongoose, Helogale parvula
    • Genus Herpestes
      Herpestes
      Herpestes is a genus of the mongoose family, Herpestidae .It contains the following species and subspecies:* Short-tailed Mongoose, Herpestes brachyurus** H. b. brachyurus...

      • Herpestes auropunctatus
      • Short-tailed Mongoose
        Short-tailed Mongoose
        The Short-tailed Mongoose is a species of mongoose that lives in the rainforests of Southeast Asia.The species is red-brown to black, with black limbs. The head is more grayish, with a black spot on the chin. This species has a total length of 60 to 65 cm and a weight of about 1.4 kg...

        , Herpestes brachyurus
      • Indian Gray Mongoose
        Indian Gray Mongoose
        The Indian Gray Mongoose or Common Grey Mongoose is a species of mongoose mainly found in southern Asia mainly India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and some other parts of Asia. The gray mongoose is commonly found in open forests, scrub lands and cultivated fields, often close to human habitation...

        , Herpestes edwardsii
      • Indian Brown Mongoose
        Indian Brown Mongoose
        | name = Indian Brown Mongoose| image = Brown Mongoose.jpg| image_caption =Adult from the southern Western Ghats| status = VU | status_system = IUCN3.1| status_ref = | regnum = Animalia| phylum = Chordata| classis = Mammaliayugioh zexal...

        , Herpestes fuscus
      • Egyptian Mongoose
        Egyptian mongoose
        The Egyptian Mongoose , also known as the Ichneumon, is a species of mongoose. It may be a reservoir host for Visceral leishmaniasis in Sudan.-Range and habitat:...

        , Herpestes ichneumon
      • Small Asian Mongoose, Herpestes javanicus
      • Long-nosed Mongoose
        Long-nosed Mongoose
        The Long-nosed Mongoose is a mongoose native to Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Niger, and Tanzania....

        , Herpestes naso
      • Collared Mongoose
        Collared Mongoose
        The Collared Mongoose is a species of mongoose in the Herpestidae family. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia....

        , Herpestes semitorquatus
      • Ruddy Mongoose
        Ruddy Mongoose
        The Ruddy Mongoose is a species of mongoose found in hill forests of peninsular India and Sri Lanka. This mongoose along with the Striped-necked Mongoose are the only mongoose species endemic to India and Sri Lanka....

        , Herpestes smithii
      • Crab-eating Mongoose
        Crab-eating Mongoose
        The Crab-eating Mongoose is a species of mongoose found in northwestern India, Nepal, Myanmar, southern China, and through southeast Asia, including the countries of Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, Laos and Thailand....

        , Herpestes urva
      • Stripe-necked Mongoose, Herpestes vitticollis
    • Genus Ichneumia
      White-tailed Mongoose
      The White-tailed Mongoose is the largest species of mongoose. It is the only member of the genus Ichneumia.-Range and Habitat:...

      • White-tailed Mongoose
        White-tailed Mongoose
        The White-tailed Mongoose is the largest species of mongoose. It is the only member of the genus Ichneumia.-Range and Habitat:...

        , Ichneumia albicauda
    • Genus Liberiictus
      Liberian Mongoose
      The Liberian Mongoose is a mongoose that was discovered in Liberia in 1958. Little was known about the animal except what local natives related. The animals were said to live in small groups and fed on earthworms and various other insects. The exact distribution is unknown, but may extend from...

      • Liberian Mongoose
        Liberian Mongoose
        The Liberian Mongoose is a mongoose that was discovered in Liberia in 1958. Little was known about the animal except what local natives related. The animals were said to live in small groups and fed on earthworms and various other insects. The exact distribution is unknown, but may extend from...

        , Liberiictis kuhni
    • Genus Mungos
      Mungos
      Mungos is a mongoose genus in the family Herpestidae.It contains the following species:* Gambian Mongoose, Mungos gambianus* Banded Mongoose, Mungos mungo...

      • Gambian Mongoose
        Gambian Mongoose
        The Gambian mongoose is widely distributed in the moist savannahs of north-western Africa, from Gambia to Nigeria.-Appearance:The Gambian mongoose is generally a brownish-grey color. They have a dark streak of fur on the sides of its light-colored neck. The short, tapered tail is not bushy. They...

        , Mungos gambianus
      • Banded Mongoose
        Banded Mongoose
        The Banded Mongoose is a mongoose commonly found in the central and eastern parts of Africa. It lives in savannas, open forests and grasslands and feeds primarily on beetles and millipedes. Mongooses use various types of dens for shelter including termite mounds...

        , Mungos mungo
    • Genus Paracynictis
      • Selous' Mongoose
        Selous' Mongoose
        Selous' Mongoose is a carnivore of southern Africa. It is the only member of the genus Paracynictis. It is tawny grey in colour.-Range:...

        , Paracynictis selousi
    • Genus Rhynchogale
      Meller's Mongoose
      Meller's Mongoose is a species of mongoose. It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It belongs to the monotypic genus Rhynchogale....

      • Meller's Mongoose
        Meller's Mongoose
        Meller's Mongoose is a species of mongoose. It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It belongs to the monotypic genus Rhynchogale....

        , Rhynchogale melleri
    • Genus Suricata
      Meerkat
      The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan"...

      • Meerkat
        Meerkat
        The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan"...

        , Suricata suricatta