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Mongoose

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Mammals

                  iMongoose
   Dwarf Mongoose
   Dwarf Mongoose
          Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Mammalia
   Order:   Carnivora
   Family:  Herpestidae
            Bonaparte, 1845

                                 Subfamiles

   Herpestinae

   A mongoose is a family of small cat-like carnivores. Mongooses are
   found just about everywere: Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and southern
   Europe. There are more than thirty species, ranging between one and
   four feet in length. Mongooses are mostly carnivores, feeding on
   insects, crabs, earthworms, lizards, snakes, rodents, and other
   creatures. They will also consume eggs and carrion. Some species, such
   as H. edwardsii, the Indian mongoose, are popularly known for their
   ability to fight and kill venomous snakes such as cobra. They are able
   to do this because of their speed, agility, and cunning, but typically
   avoid the cobra and have no particular affinity for consuming their
   meat.

   Some species of mongoose can be easily domesticated, 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. For this reason, it is illegal to import most species of
   mongooses into the United States, Australia and other countries.
   Mongooses were introduced to Hawaii in 1883, and have had a significant
   impact on native species. Mongooses are sometimes referred to as "the
   most dangerous animals on the planet" for this reason.

   In Okinawa, Japan, there is a tourist attraction where a mongoose and a
   type of local venomous snake, the habu (one of various Trimeresurus
   species) are placed in a closed perimeter and made to fight, while
   spectators watch. However, due to pressure from animal rights
   activists, the spectacle is less common today.

   The plural form of mongoose is properly mongooses. The common form
   mongeese is technically incorrect since the words goose and mongoose
   are linguistically unrelated. The word mongoose is derived from the
   Marathi word mangus.

Herpestinae

   Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale parvula) in the Serengeti National Park
   Enlarge
   Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale parvula) in the Serengeti National Park

   Herpestinae is a subfamily of Mongoose. The mongooses belong to one of
   four families of terrestrial cat-like mammals descended from the
   Viverraines, which were civet/ genet-like mammals. The mongoose family
   is a close evolutionary relation of the family Viverridae and mongooses
   are sometimes classified as members of this family; however, mongooses
   have characteristic and distinguishing morphological and behavioural
   features though they do have the same basic dental formula as the
   viverrids. In contrast to the arboreal, nocturnal viverrids, mongooses
   are more commonly terrestrial and many are active during the day. Most
   are solitary like the Egyptian mongoose but a few, for example
   meerkats, have well-developed social systems.

   Mongooses have long faces and bodies, small rounded ears, short legs
   and long tapering tails. Most are brindled or grizzled; few have
   strongly marked coats. They have non-retractile claws that are used
   primarily for digging.

   Less diverse than the viverrids, the 30 species and 11 genera of
   mongooses are assigned to only two subfamilies. The subfamily
   Herpestinae comprises 30 species of African and Asian mongooses,
   including the Cape gray mongoose, the Egyptian mongoose and the meerkat
   or suricate.

   Mongooses are distributed throughout North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa,
   the Middle East and Asia living in a variety of habitats from forests
   to open woodland, savanna, semi-desert and desert. Chiefly terrestrial,
   some are aquatic or semi-arboreal.

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

   The meerkat or suricate (Suricata suricatta) lives in troops of 2-3
   families each comprising a male, a female and 2-5 offspring in open
   country in Southern Africa (Angola, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa).
   Meerkats are small, diurnal mammals foraging for invertebrates in open
   country. Their behaviour and small size (they weigh less than a kg)
   makes them very vulnerable to larger carnivores and birds of prey.
   However, the meerkat has been known to eat small birds that migrate
   through Southern Africa. To protect the foraging troops from predators,
   one meerkat serves as a sentinel - climbing to an exposed vantage point
   and scanning the surroundings for danger. If the sentinel detects a
   predator it gives a loud alarm call to warn the troop and indicate if
   the threat comes from the air or the ground. If from the air, the
   meerkats rush as fast as they can to the nearest hole. If from the
   ground, the troop flees but not quite so fast as meerkats are more able
   to evade terrestrial predators than airborne raptors.

In popular culture

     * Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, the title character in Rudyard Kipling's story,
       is a mongoose. In the U.S., Rikki-Tikki-Tavi may be better known
       from the animated short film based on the story, directed by Chuck
       Jones.

     * On the series Camp Lazlo, Patsy Smiles, who has a huge crush on the
       show's titular character, is a mongoose.

     * The Pokémon Zangoose closely resembles a mongoose, not only in name
       but in its strong aversion to snakes. It is known to be the mortal
       enemy of Seviper, a venomous snake Pokémon. Although classified in
       the Pokédex as a "cat ferret Pokemon," real mongooses do not belong
       to the Felidae or Mustelidae families to which cats and ferrets
       respectively belong.

     * Also in the Pokémon series (episode #20: The Ghost at Maiden's
       Peak) a Ghastly creates a mongoose to take out a snake Pokémon,
       Ekans. This is the only time a real animal is used in the series.

     * Invader Zim's assistant GIR wanted to be a mongoose for his
       disguise. When Zim recommended a dog, he asked to be a mongoose
       dog.

     * In the animated Disney film, The Lion King, there was a meerkat
       called Timon.

     * There is a song by Donovan called Rikki Tikki Tavi, referencing
       Rudyard Kipling's famous mongoose.

     * In the anime Revolutionary Girl Utena, Anthy Himemiya keeps a
       mongoose in her room for a single episode.

Classification

     * FAMILY HERPESTIDAE
          + Subfamily Herpestinae
               o Genus Atilax
                    # Marsh Mongoose, Atilax paludinosus
               o Genus Bdeogale
                    # Bushy-tailed Mongoose, Bdeogale crassicauda
                    # Jackson's Mongoose, Bdeogale jacksoni
                    # Black-footed Mongoose, Bdeogale nigripes
               o Genus Crossarchus
                    # Alexander's Cusimanse, Crossarchus alexandri
                    # Ansorge's Cusimanse, Crossarchus ansorgei
                    # Long-nosed Cusimanse, Crossarchus obscurus
                    # Flat-headed Cusimanse, Crossarchus platycephalus
               o Genus Cynictis
                    # Yellow Mongoose, Cynictis penicillata
               o Genus Dologale
                    # Pousargues' Mongoose, Dologale dybowskii
               o Genus Galerella
                    # Black Slender Mongoose, Galerella flavescens
                    # Cape Grey Mongoose, Galerella pulverulenta
                    # Slender Mongoose, Galerella sanguinea
                    # Namaqua Slender Mongoose, Galerella swalius
               o Genus Helogale
                    # Desert Dwarf Mongoose, Helogale hirtula
                    # Dwarf Mongoose, Helogale parvula
               o Genus Herpestes
                    # Short-tailed Mongoose, Herpestes brachyurus
                    # Indian Gray Mongoose, Herpestes edwardsii
                    # Indian Brown Mongoose, Herpestes fuscus
                    # Egyptian Mongoose, Herpestes ichneumon
                    # Indian Mongoose, Herpestes javanicus or Herpestes
                      auropunctatus
                    # Long-nosed Mongoose, Herpestes naso
                    # Bengal Mongoose, Herpestes palustris
                    # Collared Mongoose, Herpestes semitorquatus
                    # Ruddy Mongoose, Herpestes smithii
                    # Crab-eating Mongoose, Herpestes urva
                    # Striped-necked Mongoose, Herpestes vitticollis
               o Genus Ichneumia
                    # White-tailed Mongoose, Ichneumia albicauda
               o Genus Liberiictus
                    # Liberian Mongoose, Liberiictis kuhni
               o Genus Mungos
                    # Gambian Mongoose, Mungos gambianus
                    # Banded Mongoose, Mungos mungo
               o Genus Mungotictis
                    # Narrow-striped Mongoose, Mungotictis decemlineata
               o Genus Paracynictis
                    # Selous' Mongoose, Paracynictis selousi
               o Genus Rhynchogale
                    # Meller's Mongoose, Rhynchogale melleri
               o Genus Suricata
                    # Meerkat, Suricata suricatta

Gallery

   Mongoose, or Mangouste as depicted in the 1851 Illustrated London
   Reading Book
   Enlarge
   Mongoose, or Mangouste as depicted in the 1851 Illustrated London
   Reading Book
   Long-nosed Cusimanse, Crossarchus obscurus
   Enlarge
   Long-nosed Cusimanse, Crossarchus obscurus
   Banded Mongoose, Mungos mungo
   Enlarge
   Banded Mongoose, Mungos mungo
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongoose"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
