Tag mongoose

RESEARCH: War in the Banded Mongoose colony

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The Mongoose is a solitary mammal, but not the Banded Mongoose which lives in a colony of about 20 individuals, and up to 55 individuals. The colony lives underground in burrows, called dens.

The Banded Mongoose (Mungos mungo) is a small carnivorous mammal found in central and eastern Africa – and is related to the Meerkat.

Robert Businge, a researcher in the Banded Mongoose Research Project in the Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda (established in 1995), says the colony is extremely violent and warmongering. ‘They are aggressively violent animals that wage war on neighbouring colonies.’ They are also violent towards each other in their own colony. He added, ‘They brutally murder and maim their rivals, and they also expel close relatives from their group, and will kill them if they don’t leave.’

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Supersynchrony in Banded Mongoose females

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Banded Mongoose females have a unique system of supersynchrony when they have their babies – they all give birth on the same night.

The Banded Mongoose (Mungos mungo) is a small carnivorous mammal found in central and eastern Africa – and one of 25 African species of mongoose. It is related to the Meerkat.

Most mongooses are solitary, but the Banded Mongoose lives in a colony of about 20 individuals, and up to 55 individuals. The colony lives underground in burrows, called dens.

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Why doesn’t the Meerkat get stung when eating scorpions?

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Why doesn’t the Meerkat get stung when eating scorpions?  

The Slender-Tailed Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) is a small mammal in the Herpestidae family of meerkats. The Meerkat is a small Mongoose. It lives in the deserts of southern Africa. 

The Meerkat digs for food, such as lizards, snakes, scorpions, spiders, eggs, small mammals, centipedes, and millipedes.

Scorpions live in the deserts of southern Africa too. They have a venomous tail. The Meerkat is immune to (not affected by) the venom of the scorpion. Also, Meerkat parents teach their young to hunt and eat scorpions.

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Fossa

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The Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) is a carnivorous mammal in the Eupleridae family of euplerids and mongooses.

The Fossa looks like a cross between a large mongoose and a small cougar. It has cat-like features, but with a longer, slimmer body than a cat. Its fur is short, straight, and reddish brown, or light and dark-brown. It has large, rounded ears, brown eyes, and a short, rounded nose with whiskers.

It has semi-retractable claws – it can extend its claws but they cannot retract fully into their big paws. It has flexible ankles that enable it to climb up and down trees head-first. It can also jump from tree to tree. It has a long tail. It has scent glands.

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Yellow Mongoose

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The Yellow Mongoose (Cynictis penicillata) is a carnivorous mammal. It is also known as the Red Meerkat. 

The Yellow Mongoose has a long body with rough yellowish fur, and a bushy tail. It has lighter highlights on its underbelly and chin. It has a pointy nose and small ears. Its eyes are small and dark. It has long, strong claws that dig through soil. Its claws do not retract, and therefore they are always visible.

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Narrow-Striped Mongoose

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The Narrow-Striped Mongoose (Mungotictis decemlineata) is a small mammal.

The Narrow-Striped Mongoose has rough light-grey fur with light-brown patches on its underbelly and feet, a dark-grey crown, and very narrow brown stripes on its back. There are small white patches on the sides of its eyes. It has a pointy nose, small ears, and a long furry tail.  Its eyes are small and dark. It has long, strong claws that dig through the soil. Their claws do not retract, so they are always visible.

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Banded Mongoose

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The Banded Mongoose (Mungos mungo) is a small carnivorous mammal found in central and eastern Africa. Other species of mongoose are found in Asia and Europe.

The Banded Mongoose is brown with rough fur, with a pointy nose, small ears, and a long furry tail. It has slightly darker bands, or stripes, along its back.

It can grow to a length of 30-45 centimetres (12-17 inches) with a 15-30 centimetre (6-12 inch) long tail.

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