Mongoose

Herpestinae

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Galidiinae

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A mongoose is any member of the Herpestidae family of small, cat-like carnivores. Mongooses are found in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and southern Europe. There are more than thirty species, ranging between one and four feet in length. Mongooses feed on insects, crabs, worms, lizards (including iguanas), and other small creatures (as well as eggs and sometimes fruits), but they are best known for their ability to fight and kill venomous snakes such as cobras (ophiophagy). They are able to do this because of their speed, agility, and resistance to the venom of most snakes (the vipers being a notable exception). It is said that some mongooses will actually eat the venom glands of snakes.

Related Topics:
Family - Cat - Carnivore - Asia - Africa - Caribbean - Europe - Species - Insect - Crab - Worm - Lizard - Iguana - Egg - Fruit - Snake - Cobra - Ophiophagy - Viper

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Some species of mongoose can be easily domesticated. They are fairly intelligent and can be taught simple tricks, so they are often kept as pets to protect the home from vermin. However, they can be more destructive than desired; when imported into the West Indies for the purpose of killing rats, they destroyed most of the small, ground-based fauna. Because of this, it is illegal to import mongooses into the United States, Australia and other countries. Mongooses are widespread in Hawaii, and have had a significant impact on native species.

Related Topics:
Vermin - West Indies - Rat - Fauna - United States - Australia - Hawaii

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In Okinawa, Japan, there is/was a tourist attraction of dueling mongoose and a local venomous snake, habu, where the two animals would be placed in a closed perimeter and watched by spectators. However, animal rights activists complained about this show and demanded that it be shut down. Nowadays, it is hard to find this attraction.

Related Topics:
Okinawa - Japan - Animal rights

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The most famous popular fictional mongoose appears in the Jungle Book: Rudyard Kipling's "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi". Kipling describes the adventures of a young mongoose defending his human family from a pair of murderous cobras.

Related Topics:
Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling - Rikki-Tikki-Tavi - Cobra

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Since the word "goose" is linguistically unrelated to the word "mongoose," the plural of mongoose is not "mongeese" but rather "mongooses."

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