View source for Mongoose

{{short description|Family of mammals in Africa and Asia}}
{{about|the mongoose family Herpestidae|Malagasy mongooses|Galidiinae|other uses}}
{{pp-protected|small=yes}}
{{use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Mongoose
| fossil_range = [[Early Miocene]] to [[present]], 21.8–0 [[Mya (unit)|Ma]]
| image = Mongoose_collection.png
| image_caption = Top left: [[Meerkat]]<br />Top right: [[Yellow mongoose]]<br />Bottom left: [[Slender mongoose]]<br />Bottom right: [[Indian gray mongoose]]
| taxon = Herpestidae
| authority = [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1845
| type_genus = ''[[Herpestes]]''
| type_genus_authority = [[Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger]], 1811
| subdivision_ref = <ref name=msw3>{{MSW3 Carnivora |id=14000477 |pages=562–571 |heading=Family Herpestidae}}</ref>
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision = {{Collapsible list
|1=''[[Atilax]]''
|2=''[[Bdeogale]]''
|3=''[[Cynictis]]''
|4=''[[Galerella]]''
|5=''[[Herpestes]]''
|6=''[[Ichneumia]]''
|7=''[[Paracynictis]]''
|8=''[[Rhynchogale]]''
|9=''[[Crossarchus]]''
|10=''[[Dologale]]''
|11=''[[Helogale]]''
|12=''[[Liberiictus]]''
|13=''[[Mungos]]''
|14=''[[Suricata]]''}}
| synonyms_ref = <ref name=msw3/>
| synonyms = {{Collapsible list
|1=Rhinogalidae, Gray, 1869
|2=Suricatinae, Thomas, 1882
|3=Cynictidae, Cope, 1882
|4=Suricatidae, Cope, 1882
|5=Herpestoidei, Winge, 1895
|6=Mongotidae, Pocock, 1920}}
| range_map = Herpestidae.png
}}

A '''mongoose''' is a small terrestrial [[carnivorous]] [[mammal]] belonging to the [[Family (biology)|family]] '''Herpestidae'''. This family has two subfamilies, the '''Herpestinae''' and the '''Mungotinae'''. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living [[species]] that are native to [[southern Europe]], [[Africa]] and [[Asia]], whereas the Mungotinae comprises 11 species native to Africa. The Herpestidae originated about {{mya|21.8|error=3.6|round=2}} in the [[Early Miocene]] and [[Genetic divergence|genetically diverged]] into two main [[genetic lineage|lineages]] between 19.1 and {{mya|18.5|error=3.5|round=2}}. There is a large introduced population on the islands of [[Hawaii]]. Mongoose diets are varied but consist of mainly insects, hatchlings, reptiles and birds.

==Etymology==
The name is derived from names used in India for ''Herpestes'' species:<ref>{{cite book |author=Valentini, M.B. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Major, J.D. |year=1714 |title=Museum museorum, oder, Vollständige Schau Bühne aller Materialien und Specereyen |volume=2 Appendix IX |location=Franckfurt am Mayn |publisher=Johann David Zunners Sel. Erben, und Johann Adam Jungen |page=24 |chapter=Viverra Indica grysea. Mungos |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/gri_33125008634889/page/n327/mode/2up/}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Jerdon, T.C. |year=1874 |title=The mammals of India; a natural history of all the animals known to inhabit continental India |location=London |publisher=J. Wheldon |pages=132–134 |chapter=127. Herpestes griseus |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/mammalsofindiana00jerdrich/page/132/mode/2up}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Sterndale, R.A. |year=1884 |title=Natural history of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon |location=Calcutta |publisher=Thacker & Spink |pages=222–228 |chapter=Herpestidae. The Ichneumon or Mungoose Family |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/naturalhistoryof00ster/page/222/mode/2up}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Lydekker, R. |year=1894 |title=A hand-book to the Carnivora. Part 1: Cats, civets, and mungooses |location=London |publisher=Edward Lloyd Limited |chapter=XIII. The Mungooses. Genus ''Herpestes'' |pages=244–269 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/handbooktocarniv00lyde/page/244}}</ref> 
{{lang|hi-Latn|muṅgūs}} or {{lang|hi-Latn|maṅgūs}} in classical [[Hindi]];<ref>{{cite book |author=Platts, J.T. |year=1884 |title=A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English |location=London |publisher=W. H. Allen & Co. |page=1081 |chapter=منگوس मुंगूस muṅgūs, or मंगूस maṅgūs. The Mongoose, or ichneumon, Viverra ichneumon |chapter-url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/app/platts_query.py?page=1081}}</ref>
{{lang|mr-Latn|muṅgūs}} in [[Marathi language|Marathi]];<ref>{{cite book |author=Molesworth, J. T. |year=1857 |title=A dictionary, Marathi and English |edition=Second, revised and enlarged |location=Bombay |publisher=Printed for Government at the Bombay Education Society's Press |page=384 |chapter=मुंगूस muṅgūsa, Bengal Mungoose, Viverra Ichneumon, or Herpesteus Griseus |chapter-url=https://dsalsrv04.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/app/molesworth_query.py?page=384 |access-date=5 April 2020 |archive-date=30 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130183559/https://dsalsrv04.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/app/molesworth_query.py?page=384  }}</ref>
{{lang|te-Latn|mungisa}} in [[Telugu language|Telugu]];<ref>{{cite book |author=Brown, C.P. |year=1903 |title=A Telugu-English dictionary |edition=New, thoroughly revised and brought up to date second |location=Madras |publisher=Promoting Christian Knowledge |page=997 |chapter=ముంగి or ముంగిస mungi. The ichneumon or mongoose, a kind of weasel. Viverra ichneumon |chapter-url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/app/brown_query.py?page=997}}</ref>
{{lang|kn-Latn|mungi}}, {{lang|kn-Latn|mungisi}} and {{lang|kn-Latn|munguli}} in [[Kannada]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Reeve, W. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Sanderson, D. |year=1858 |title=A dictionary, Canarese and English |chapter=ಮುಂಗಿ, ಮುಂಗಿಸಿ, ಮುಂಗುಲಿ |publisher=Wesleyan Mission Press |location=Bangalore |edition=Revised, corrected and enlarged |page=787 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NycOAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA787}}</ref>

The form of the English name (since 1698) was altered to its "-[[:wikt:goose|goose]]" ending by [[folk etymology]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language |last=Forsyth |first=M. |date=2012 |publisher=Penguin Books |chapter=Folk etymology |chapter-url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=U0zav6EgOwYC |page=77}} |page=77 |isbn=978-1-101-61176-0}}</ref> It was spelled "mungoose" in the 18th and 19th centuries. The plural form is "mongooses",<ref>{{Cite book |first1=H. E. |last1=Hinton |name-list-style=amp |first2=A. M. S. |last2=Dunn |title=Mongooses: Their Natural History and Behaviour |chapter=Preface |page=v |location=Berkeley |publisher=University of California Press |year=1967 |oclc=1975837}}</ref> although "mongeese" is also used.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-11 |title=Definition of MONGOOSE |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mongoose |access-date=2025-06-07 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en}}</ref>
==Characteristics==
Mongooses have long faces and bodies, small, rounded ears, short legs, and long, tapering tails. Most are [[brindled]] or grizzly; a few have strongly marked coats which bear a striking resemblance to [[mustelids]]. Their markings consist of dark legs, stripes, and pale ringed tails. They have narrow, ovular [[pupils]] and nonretractile claws. Most species have a large anal scent gland, used for territorial marking and signaling reproductive status,<ref name=EoM>{{cite book |editor=Macdonald, D. |year=2009 |title=The Encyclopedia of Mammals |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |page=660 |isbn=978-0-19-956799-7}}</ref> and a short and smooth [[penis]] with a [[baculum]] and an elongated [[Urinary meatus|urethral opening]] on its underside.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Estes |first=R. |title=The Behavior Guide to African Mammals: Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, Primates |date=1991 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-08085-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g977LsZHpcsC&pg=PA279}}</ref> The [[dental formula]] of mongooses is {{DentalFormula |upper=3.1.3–4.1–2 |lower=3.1.3–4.1–2}}.
They range from {{cvt|24|to|58|cm}} in head-to-body length, excluding the tail. In weight, they range from {{cvt|320|g}} to {{cvt|5|kg}}.<ref name=EoM/>

Mongooses are one of at least four known mammalian taxa with mutations in the [[nicotinic acetylcholine receptor]] that protect against [[Snake venom#Immunity|snake venom]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Barchan, D. |author2=Kachalsky, S., Neumann, D., Vogel, Z., Ovadia, M., Kochva, E. and Fuchs, S. |title=How the mongoose can fight the snake: the binding site of the mongoose acetylcholine receptor |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=89 |issue=16 |pages=7717–7721 |date=1992 |url=https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/89/16/7717.full.pdf |doi=10.1073/pnas.89.16.7717 |pmid=1380164 |pmc=49782|bibcode=1992PNAS...89.7717B |doi-access=free}}</ref> Their modified receptors prevent the [[snake venom]] [[Snake venom#Neurotoxins|α-neurotoxin]] from binding. These represent four separate, independent mutations. In the mongoose, this change is effected, uniquely, by [[Glycosylation#Purpose|glycosylation]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Drabeck |first1=D. H. |last2=Dean |first2=A. M. |last3=Jansa |first3=S. A. |title=Why the honey badger don't care: Convergent evolution of venom-targeted nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in mammals that survive venomous snake bites |journal=Toxicon |date= 2015 |volume=99 |pages=68–72 |doi=10.1016/j.toxicon.2015.03.007 |pmid=25796346|bibcode=2015Txcn...99...68D}}</ref>

==Taxonomy==
Herpestina was a [[scientific name]] proposed by [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte]] in 1845 who considered the mongooses a [[subfamily]] of the [[Viverridae]].<ref name=Bonaparte1845>{{cite book |last1=Bonaparte |first1=C. L. |title=Catalogo Methodico dei Mammiferi Europei |date=1845 |publisher=L. di Giacomo Pirola |location=Milan, Italy |page=8 |chapter=Fam. VII. Viverridae |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/catalogometodico00bona_0#page/8/mode/2up}}</ref> In 1864, [[John Edward Gray]] classified the mongooses into three subfamilies: [[Galidiinae]], Herpestinae and Mungotinae.<ref name=Gray1865>{{cite journal |last1=Gray |first1=J.E. |title=A revision of the genera and species of viverrine animals (Viverridae) founded on the collection in the British Museum |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |date=1865 |pages=502–579 |url=https://archive.org/details/proceedingsofgen64zool/page/502/mode/2up}}</ref> This grouping was supported by [[Reginald Innes Pocock]] in 1919, who referred to the family as "Mungotidae".<ref name="Pocock1919">{{cite journal |last1=Pocock |first1=R. I. |title=The classification of mongooses (Mungotidae) |journal=The Annals and Magazine of Natural History |date=1919 |issue=3 |pages=515–524 |series=9 |doi=10.1080/00222931908673851 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/2235543}}</ref>

[[genetics|Genetic]] research based on [[nuclear DNA|nuclear]] and [[mitochondrial DNA]] analyses revealed that the Galidiinae are more closely related to Madagascar carnivores, including the [[Fossa (animal)|fossa]] and [[Malagasy civet]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Yoder |first1=A. D. |first2=M. M. |last2=Burns |year=2003 |last3=Zehr |first3=S. |last4=Delefosse |first4=T. |last5=Veron |first5=G. |last6=Goodman |first6=S. M. |last7=Flynn |first7=J. J. |s2cid=4404379 |title=Single origin of Malagasy carnivora from an African ancestor |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=421 |issue=6924 |pages=434–437 |doi=10.1038/nature01303 |pmid=12610623|bibcode=2003Natur.421..734Y }}</ref><ref name="Flynn2005">{{cite journal |last1=Flynn |first1=J. J. |last2=Finarelli |first2=J.|last3=Zehr |first3=S. |last4=Hsu |first4=J. |last5=Nedbal |first5=M. |title=Molecular phylogeny of the Carnivora (Mammalia): Assessing the Impact of Increased sampling on resolving enigmatic relationships |journal=Systematic Biology |date=2005 |volume=54 |issue=2 |pages=317–337 |doi=10.1080/10635150590923326 |pmid=16012099|doi-access=free }}</ref><!--high support values for monophyly of Eupleridae in all cladograms--> Galidiinae is considered a subfamily of [[Eupleridae]].<ref>{{MSW3|id=14000443|page=}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Subfamily !! Genus !! Species !! Image of [[type species]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
! rowspan="9" style="text-align:center; background:#ccccFF;"|Herpestinae
|''[[Herpestes]]'' {{small|[[Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger|Illiger]], 1811}}<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Illiger |first1=C. |year=1815 |title=Überblick der Säugethiere nach ihrer Verteilung über die Welttheile |journal=Abhandlungen der Königlichen Preußischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin |volume=1804–1811 |pages=39–159 |url=http://bibliothek.bbaw.de/bbaw/bibliothek-digital/digitalequellen/schriften/anzeige/index_html?band=07-abh/18041811&seite:int=196 |access-date=28 December 2019 |archive-date=4 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404162507/http://bibliothek.bbaw.de/bbaw/bibliothek-digital/digitalequellen/schriften/anzeige/index_html?band=07-abh%2F18041811&seite%3Aint=196  }}</ref>
|
* [[Egyptian mongoose]] (''H. ichneumon'') {{small|([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758)}}<ref>{{cite book|author=Linnaeus, C. |title=Caroli Linnæi Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis|publisher=Laurentius Salvius |year=1758|edition=Decima, reformata |volume=Tomus I |location=Holmiae |page=41|chapter=''Viverra ichneumon'' |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/mobot31753000798865#page/43/mode/2up}} {{in lang|la}}</ref>
*[[Common slender mongoose]] (''H. sanguineus'') {{small|[[Eduard Rüppell|Rüppell]], 1835}}<ref>{{cite book |author=Rüppell, E. |year=1835 |title=Neue Wirbelthiere zu der Fauna von Abyssinien gehörig |location=Frankfurt am Main |publisher=S. Schmerber |pages=27–28 |chapter=''Herpestes sanguineus''. Rüppell |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/neuewirbelthiere00rupp/page/n37/mode/2up}}</ref>
*[[Cape gray mongoose]] (''H. pulverulentus'') {{small|([[Johann Andreas Wagner|Wagner]], 1839)}}<ref>{{cite journal |author=Wagner, J.A. |date=1839 |title=Über die Verwandtschafts-Verhältnisse der Pharaonsratte |journal=Gelehrte Anzeigen der Königlich Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu München |volume=9 |issue=183 |pages=425–429 |url=https://archive.org/details/gelehrteanzeig0910bayeuoft/page/212/mode/2up}}</ref>
*[[Somalian slender mongoose]] (''H. ochraceus'') {{small|Gray, 1848}}<ref>{{cite journal |author=Gray, J.E. |year=1848 |title=Description of a new species of ''Herpestes'', from Abyssinia |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |issue=November |pages=138–139 |url=https://archive.org/details/lietuvostsrmoksl48liet/page/n185/mode/1up}}</ref>
*[[Angolan slender mongoose]] (''H. flavescens'') {{small|([[José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage|Bocage]], 1889)}}<ref>{{cite journal |author=Bocage, J.V.B. |year=1889 |title=Mammifère d'Angola et du Congo |journal=Jornal de Sciencias Mathematicas, Physicas e Naturaes |series=2 |volume=1 |pages=174–185 |url=https://archive.org/details/jornaldesciencia0201acad/page/178/mode/2up}}</ref>
|[[File:Herpestes_ichneumon_Египетский_мангуст,_или_фараонова_крыса,_или_ихневмо́н.jpg|frameless]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|''[[Atilax]]'' {{small|[[Frédéric Cuvier|Cuvier]], 1826}}<ref>{{cite book |author=Cuvier, F. G. |year=1826 |chapter=Vansire |title=Histoire Naturelle des Mammifères: avec des figures originales, coloriées, dessinées d'aprèsdes animaux vivans. Tome 5 |editor=E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire |editor2=Cuvier, F. G.  |publisher=A. Belin |location=Paris |page=LIV |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/HistoirenaturelVGeof/page/n223}}</ref>
|[[Marsh mongoose]] (''A. paludinosus'') {{small|([[Georges Cuvier|Cuvier]], 1829)}}<ref name=Cuvier1829>{{cite book |author=Cuvier, G. |year=1829 |title=Le règne animal distribué d'après son organisation, pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparée |chapter=Les Mangoustes. Cuv. (Herpestes, Illiger) |publisher=Chez Déterville |location=Paris |pages=157–158 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/lergneanimaldi01regn/page/158}}</ref>
|[[File:Marsh_mongoose_or_water_mongoose,_Atilax_paludinosus,_at_Rietvlei_Nature_Reserve,_Gauteng,_South_Africa_(22548192738).jpg|frameless]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;;"
|''[[Cynictis]]'' {{small|[[William Ogilby|Ogilby]], 1833}}<ref>{{cite journal |author=Ogilby, W. |year=1833 |title=Characters of a new Genus of carnivorous Mammalia from the collection of Mr. Steedman |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |issue=Part 1 |pages=48–49 |url=https://archive.org/details/lietuvostsrmoksl33liet/page/n61/mode/2up}}</ref>
| [[Yellow mongoose]] (''C. penicillata'') {{small|(Cuvier, 1829)}}<ref name=Cuvier1829/>
|[[File:Fuchsmanguste_2.jpg|frameless]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|''[[Urva (genus)|Urva]]'' {{small|[[Brian Houghton Hodgson|Hodgson]], 1836}}<ref name=Hodgson1836>{{cite journal|last=Hodgson|first=B. H.|year=1836|title=Synoptical description of sundry new animals, enumerated in the Catalogue of Nepalese Mammals |url=https://archive.org/details/journalofasiatic05asia/page/238|journal=Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal |volume=5|pages=231–238}}</ref>
|
* [[Indian grey mongoose]] (''U. edwardsii'') {{small|([[Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire|Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire]]), 1818}}<ref name="Geoffroy1817">{{cite book|author=Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, É. |title=Description de l'Égypte, ou, Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l'éxpédition de l'armée française|publisher=Commission des Sciences et Arts d'Egypte|year=1817|editor1=Jomard, E. F.|volume=Tome II|location=Paris|pages=137–144|chapter=De l'Ichneumon. ''Ichneumon pharaon''|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/DescriptiondelEIIFranB/page/139}}</ref>
* [[Javan mongoose]] (''U. javanica'') {{small|(Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1818)}}<ref name="Geoffroy1817" />
* [[Stripe-necked mongoose]] (''U. vitticolla'') {{small|([[Edward Turner Bennett|Bennett]]), 1835}}<ref>{{cite journal|author=Bennett, E. T.|year=1835|title=Remarks on some Mammalia from Travancore, including a New Species of Herpestes|url=https://archive.org/details/lietuvostsrmoksl33liet/page/n401|journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London|volume=III|pages=66–67}}</ref>
* [[Small Indian mongoose]] (''U. auropunctata'') {{small|(Hodgson, 1836)}}<ref name=Hodgson1836 />
* [[Crab-eating mongoose]] (''U. urva'') {{small|Hodgson, 1836}}<ref name=Hodgson1836 />
* [[Ruddy mongoose]] (''U. smithii'') {{small|(Gray, 1837)}}<ref name="Gray1837">{{cite journal |author=Gray, J. E. |year=1837 |title=Description of some or little known Mammalia, principally in the British Museum Collection |url=https://archive.org/details/magazineofnatura101837loud/page/578 |journal=The Magazine of Natural History and Journal of Zoology, Botany, Mineralogy, Geology and Meteorology |volume=I |issue=November |pages=577–587}}</ref>
* [[Short-tailed mongoose]] (''U. brachyura'') {{small|([[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1837)}}<ref name="Gray1837" />
* [[Indian brown mongoose]] (''U. fusca'') {{small|([[George Robert Waterhouse|Waterhouse]], 1838)}}<ref>{{cite journal|author=Waterhouse, G. R. |year=1838|title=On two new species of Mammalia, from the Society's collection, belonging to the genera ''Gerbillus'' and ''Herpestes''|url=https://archive.org/details/proceedingsofgen36zool/page/n397/mode/2up|journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London|volume=VI|pages=55–56}}</ref>
* [[Collared mongoose]] (''U. semitorquata'') {{small|(Gray, 1846)}} <ref>{{cite journal|author=Gray, J.E.|year=1846|title=New species of Mammalia|url=https://archive.org/details/annalsmagazineof18lond/page/210/mode/2up|journal=The Annals and Magazine of Natural History; Zoology, Botany, and Geology|volume=18|issue=118|pages=211–212}}</ref>
|[[File:Urva_urva_77938111.jpg|frameless]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|''[[Ichneumia]]'' {{small|[[Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire|Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire]], 1837}}<ref>{{cite journal |author=Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, I. |year=1837 |title=Notices sur deux nouveaux genres de Mammifères carnassiers, les Ichneumies, du continent Africain, et les Galidies de Madagascar |journal=Annales des Sciences Naturelles |series=2 |volume=8 |pages=249–252 |url=https://archive.org/details/annalesdesscienc08zool/page/250/mode/2up}}</ref>
| [[White-tailed mongoose]] (''I. albicauda'') {{small|(Cuvier, 1829)}}<ref name=Cuvier1829/>
|[[File:White-tailed_mongoose_(Ichneumia_albicauda), crop.jpg|frameless]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|''[[Bdeogale]]'' {{small|[[Wilhelm Peters|Peters]], 1850}}<ref>{{cite journal |author=Peters, W. |year=1850 |title=Bdeogale |journal=Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin |page=94 |url=https://archive.org/details/sitzungsberichte59gese/page/94/mode/1up}}</ref>
| 
* [[Bushy-tailed mongoose]] (''B. crassicauda'') {{small|Peters, 1852}}<ref>{{cite journal |author=Peters, W. |year=1852 |title=Mittheilung über die in Mossambique beobachteten Mangusten |journal=Verhandlungen der Königlich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin |pages=81–82 |url=https://archive.org/details/berichtberdiez52berl/page/81/mode/1up}}</ref>
* [[Black-footed mongoose]] (''B. nigripes'') {{small|[[Jacques Pucheran|Pucheran]], 1855}}<ref>{{cite journal |author=Pucheran, J.P. |year=1855 |title=Les Mammifères de la côte occidental d'Afrique |journal=Revue et magasin de zoologie pure et appliquée |volume=7 |series=2 |page=111 |url=https://archive.org/details/revueetmagasinde07soci/page/111/mode/1up}}</ref>
* [[Jackson's mongoose]] (''B. jacksoni'') {{small|(Thomas, 1894)}}<ref>{{cite journal |author=Thomas, O. |year=1894 |title=On a new African Genus of Mustelidae |journal=The Annals and Magazine of Natural History; Zoology, Botany, and Geology |volume=13 |series=6 |issue=78 |pages=522–524 |url=https://archive.org/details/s6annalsmagazine13londuoft/page/522/mode/2up}}</ref>
*[[Sokoke dog mongoose]] (''B. omnivora'') {{small|[[Edmund Heller|Heller]], 1914}}<ref>{{cite journal |author=Heller, E. |year=1914 |title=New antelopes and carnivores from British East Africa |journal=Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections |volume=61 |issue=2240 |pages=1–15 |url=https://archive.org/details/smithsonianmisce611914smit/page/n335/mode/2up}}</ref><ref>{{Cite iucn |title=''Bdeogale omnivora'' |author1=Foley, C. |author2=Do Linh San, E. |name-list-style=amp |date=2016 |page=e.T136686A45221619}}</ref>
|[[File:Bushy-tailed_mongoose_-_Snapshot_Safari_Ruaha1.jpg|frameless]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|''[[Rhynchogale]]'' {{small|Thomas, 1894}}<ref>{{cite journal |author=Thomas, O. |year=1894 |title=On the mammals of Nyasaland: third contribution |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |issue=February |pages=136–146 |url=https://archive.org/details/proceedingsofzoo1894zool/page/139/mode/1up}}</ref>
| [[Meller's mongoose]] (''R. melleri'') {{small|Gray, 1865}}<ref name=Gray1865/>
|[[File:Smit.m.rhinogale.melleri.white.background.jpg|frameless]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|''[[Paracynictis]]'' {{small|[[Reginald Innes Pocock|Pocock]], 1916}}
| [[Selous's mongoose]] (''P. selousi'') {{small|([[William Edward de Winton|de Winton]], 1896)}}
|[[File:Paracynictis_selousi_Smit.jpg|frameless]]
|-
|''[[Xenogale]]'' {{small|[[Joel Asaph Allen|Allen]], 1919}}<ref>{{cite journal |author=Allen, J. A. |year=1919 |title=Preliminary notes on African Carnivora |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=23–31 |doi=10.2307/1373716 |jstor=1373716 |url=https://archive.org/details/journalofmam119191920amer/page/26/mode/2up}}</ref>
|[[Long-nosed mongoose]] (''X. naso'') {{small|(de Winton, 1901)}}<ref>{{cite journal|author=de Winton, W. E.|year=1901|title=Description of a New Mongoose from West Africa |url=https://archive.org/details/bulletinofliverp01forb/page/n403/mode/2up|journal=Bulletin of the Liverpool Museums Under the City Council|volume=3|issue=2|pages=35–37}}</ref>
|[[File:Long-nosed mongoose (without bg).png|frameless]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
! rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;background:#eeccFF;"|Mungotinae
|''[[Mungos]]'' {{small|[[E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire]] & F. Cuvier, 1795}}<ref>{{cite book |author1=Geoffroy, E. |author2=Cuvier, F. |name-list-style=amp |year=1795 |chapter=Mémoire sur une nouvelle division des Mammifères, et sur Ies principes qui doivent servir de base dans cette sorte de travail, lu à la société d'Histoire naturelle, le premier floréal de l'an troisième |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/magazinencyclop12pari/page/187/mode/2up |pages=164–189 |title=Magasin Encyclopédique: ou journal des sciences, des lettres et des arts |volume=Tome second |editor=Millin |editor2=Noel |editor3=Warens |publisher=I'lmprimerie du Magazin Encyclopédique |location=Paris}}</ref>
|
* [[Banded mongoose]] (''M. mungo'') {{small|([[Johann Friedrich Gmelin|Gmelin]], 1788)}}<ref>{{cite book |author=Gmelin, J. F. |year=1788 |title=Caroli a Linné, Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis |location=Lipsiae |publisher=Georg Emanuel Beer |edition=13th aucta, reformata |volume=I |chapter=''Viverra mungo'' |pages=84–85 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/carolialinnsyst00linngoog/page/n99/mode/2up}}</ref>
* [[Gambian mongoose]] (''M. gambianus'') {{small|([[William Ogilby|Ogilby]], 1835)}}<ref>{{cite journal |author=Ogilby, W. |year=1835 |title=Descriptions of Mammalia and Birds from the Gambia |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |volume=Part III |pages=97–105 |url=https://archive.org/details/proceedingsofgen34zool/page/102/mode/2up}}</ref>
|[[File:Banded_mongoose_(Mungos_mungo).jpg|frameless]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|''[[Suricata]]'' {{small|[[Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest|Desmarest]], 1804}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Desmarest |first1=A. G. |year=1804 |title=Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle appliquée aux arts: principalement à l'agriculture et à l'économie rurale et domestique |volume=24 |editor=Deterville, J. F. P. |publisher=Deterville |location=Paris |chapter=Genre Surikate, ''Suricata'' Nob. |page=15 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/nouveaudictionna241804/page/n252/mode/1up}}</ref>
| [[Meerkat]] (''S. suricatta'') {{small|([[Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber|Schreber]], 1776)}}<ref>{{cite book |author=Schreber, J. C. D. |year=1776 |title=Die Säugethiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur, mit Beschreibungen |location=Erlangen |publisher=Expedition des Schreber'schen Säugthier- und des Esper'schen Schmetterlingswerkes |chapter=''Viverra suricata'' |page=CVII |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/diesugthierein81schr/page/n170/mode/1up}}</ref>
|[[File:Meerkat_(Suricata_suricatta)_(32993685706).jpg|frameless]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|''[[Crossarchus]]'' {{small|Cuvier, 1825}}
|
* [[Common kusimanse]] (''C. obscurus'') {{small|Cuvier, 1825}}
* [[Alexander's kusimanse]] (''C. alexandri'') {{small|Thomas & [[R. C. Wroughton|Wroughton]], 1907}}
* [[Angolan kusimanse]] (''C. ansorgei'') {{small|Thomas, 1910}}
* [[Flat-headed kusimanse]] (''C. platycephalus'') {{small|[[Corey Goldman|Goldman]], 1984}}
|[[File:Crossarchus_obscurus_Plzen_zoo_02.2011.jpg|frameless]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|''[[Helogale]]'' {{small|Gray, 1861}}
|
* [[Common dwarf mongoose]] (''H. parvula'') {{small|[[Carl Jakob Sundevall|Sundevall]], 1847}}
* [[Ethiopian dwarf mongoose]] (''H. hirtula'') {{small|Thomas, 1904}}
|[[File:Helogale_parvula,_Serengeti.jpg|frameless]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|''[[Dologale]]'' {{small|Thomas, 1920}}
| [[Pousargues's mongoose]] (''D. dybowskii'') {{small|[[Eugène de Pousargues|Pousargues]], 1894}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last=de Pousargues |first=E. |date=1894 |language=fr |title=Description d'une nouvelle espèce de mammifère du genre Crossarchus et considérations sur la répartition géographique des crossarques rayés |journal=Nouvelles Archives du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle |series=3 |volume=6 |pages=121–134 |url=https://archive.org/details/nouvellesarchiv361894musu/page/120}}</ref>
|[[File:Dologale_Dybowskii_-_Chinko_Project_Area_-_20120516.jpg|frameless]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|''[[Liberiictis]]'' {{small|Hayman, 1958}}
| [[Liberian mongoose]] (''L. kuhni'') {{small|Hayman, 1958}}
|
|}

===Phylogenetic relationships===
[[Phylogenetics|Phylogenetic]] research of 18 mongoose species revealed that the solitary and social mongooses form different [[clade]]s.<ref name="Veron2004">{{cite journal |last1=Veron |first1=G. |last2=Colyn |first2=M. |last3=Dunham |first3=A.E. |last4=Taylor |first4=P. |last5=Gaubert |first5=P. |title=Molecular systematics and origin of sociality in mongooses (Herpestidae, Carnivora) |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |date=2004 |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=582–598 |doi=10.1016/S1055-7903(03)00229-X |pmid=15012940|bibcode=2004MolPE..30..582V }}</ref> 
The phylogenetic relationships of Herpestidae are shown in the following cladogram:<ref name="Barycka2005">{{cite journal |last1=Barycka |first1=E. |title=Evolution and systematics of the feliform Carnivora |journal=Mammalian Biology |date=2005 |volume=72 |issue=5 |pages=257–282 |doi=10.1016/j.mambio.2006.10.011}}</ref><ref name="Patou2009">{{cite journal |last1=Patou |first1=M. |last2=Mclenachan |first2=P.A. |last3=Morley |first3=C.G. |last4=Couloux |first4=A. |last5=Jennings |first5=A.P. |last6=Veron |first6=G. |title=Molecular phylogeny of the Herpestidae (Mammalia, Carnivora) with a special emphasis on the Asian Herpestes |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |date=2009 |volume=53 |issue=1 |pages=69–80 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2009.05.038 |pmid=19520178 |bibcode=2009MolPE..53...69P |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/26286265}}</ref>
{{clade |style=font-size:85%;line-height:85%;
|label1='''Herpestidae'''
|1={{clade
   |label2='''Mungotinae'''|style2=background-color:#eeccFF;
   |2={{clade
      |1={{clade
         |1={{clade
            |1={{clade
               |label1=''[[Helogale]]''
               |1={{clade
                  |1=''Helogale parvula'' ([[Common dwarf mongoose]])
                  |2=''Helogale hirtula'' ([[Ethiopian dwarf mongoose]])
                  }}
               |label2=''Dologale''
               |2=''Dologale dybowskii'' ([[Pousargues's mongoose]])
               }}
            |label2=''[[Crossarchus]]''
            |2={{clade
               |1=''Crossarchus alexandri'' ([[Alexander's kusimanse]])
               |2=''Crossarchus ansorgei'' ([[Angolan kusimanse]])
               |3=''Crossarchus platycephalus'' ([[Flat-headed kusimanse]])
               |4=''Crossarchus obscurus'' ([[Common kusimanse]]) [[Image:Crossarchus_obscurus.jpg|50px]]
               }} }}
         |2={{clade
            |label1=''Liberiictis''
            |1=''Liberiictis kuhni'' ([[Liberian mongoose]])
            |label2=''[[Mungos]]''
            |2={{clade
               |1=''Mungos gambianus'' ([[Gambian mongoose]])
               |2=''Mungos mungo'' ([[Banded mongoose]]) [[Image:Lydekker_-_Broad-banded_Cusimanse_(white_background).JPG|50px]]
               }} }} }}
      |label2=''Suricata''
      |2=''Suricata suricatta'' ([[Meerkat]]) [[Image:MeerkatAtHappyHollow_white_background.jpg|20px]]
      }}
   |label1='''Herpestinae'''|style1=background-color:#ccccFF;
   |1={{clade
      |1={{clade
         |1={{clade
            |1={{clade
               |1={{clade
                  |label1=''[[Bdeogale]]''
                  |1={{clade
                     |1={{clade
                        |1=''Bdeogale jacksoni'' ([[Jackson's mongoose]])
                        |2=''Bdeogale nigripes'' ([[Black-footed mongoose]])
                        }}
                     |2=''Bdeogale crassicauda'' ([[Bushy-tailed mongoose]])
                     }}
                  |label2=''Rhynchogale''
                  |2=''Rhynchogale melleri'' ([[Meller's mongoose]]) [[Image:Smit.m.rhinogale.melleri.white.background.jpg|50px]]
                  }}
               |2={{clade
                  |label1=''Paracynictis''
                  |1=''Paracynictis selousi'' ([[Selous's mongoose]])
                  |label2=''Cynictis''
                  |2=''Cynictis penicillata'' ([[Yellow mongoose]])
                  }} }}
            |label2=''Ichneumia''
            |2=''Ichneumia albicauda'' ([[White-tailed mongoose]])
            }}
         |label2=''[[Herpestes]]''
         |2={{clade
            |1=''Herpestes ichneumon'' ([[Egyptian mongoose]])<ref name="Patou2009"/>
            |2={{clade
               |1=''Herpestes sanguinea'' ([[Slender mongoose]])
               |2=''Herpestes pulverulenta'' ([[Cape gray mongoose]])
               |3=''Herpestes ochracea'' ([[Somalian slender mongoose]])
               |4=''Herpestes flavescens'' ([[Angolan slender mongoose]]) (including [[black mongoose]])
               }} }} }}
      |2={{clade
         |1={{clade
            |label1=''Atilax''
            |1=''Atilax paludinosus'' ([[Marsh mongoose]])
            |label2=''Xenogale''<ref name="Patou2009"/>
            |2=''Xenogale naso'' ([[Long-nosed mongoose]])
            }}
         |2={{clade
            |1=†''"[[Herpestes lemanensis]]"''
    |label2=''[[Urva (genus)|Urva]]''
            |2={{clade
            |1={{clade
               |1={{clade
                  |1=''Urva brachyura'' ([[Short-tailed mongoose]])
                  |2=''Urva semitorquata'' ([[Collared mongoose]])
                  }}
               |2=''Urva urva'' ([[Crab-eating mongoose]])
               }}
            |2={{clade
               |1={{clade
                  |1=''Urva smithii'' ([[Ruddy mongoose]])
                  |2=''Urva vitticolla'' ([[Stripe-necked mongoose]])
                  }}
               |2={{clade
                  |1=''Urva fusca'' ([[Indian brown mongoose]])
                  |2={{clade
                     |1=''Urva edwardsii'' ([[Indian gray mongoose]])
                     |2=''Urva javanica'' ([[Small Asian mongoose]]) [[Image:Small_asian_mongoose_white_background.jpg|50px]]
               }}      }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }}

=== Extinct species ===
''[[Atilax]]'' {{small|[[Frédéric Cuvier|Cuvier]], 1826}}

* †[[Atilax mesotes|''A. mesotes'']] {{small|Ewer 1956}}

''[[Herpestes]]'' {{small|[[Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger|Illiger]], 1811}}

* †[[Herpestes lemanensis|''H. lemanensis'']] {{small|[[Auguste Pomel|Pomel]], 1853}}

''[[Leptoplesictis]]'' {{small|Major, 1903}}<ref>{{cite journal|author=Morales, J. |author2=Pickford, M. |author3=Salesa, M.J. |year=2008|title=Creodonta and Carnivora from the Early Miocene of the Northern Sperrgebiet, Namibia|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235672779|journal=Memoir of the Geological Survey of Namibia|volume=20|pages=291–310}}</ref>

* †''L. atavus'' <small>Beaumont, 1973</small>
* †''L. aurelianensis'' <small>Schlosser, 1888</small>
* †''L. filholi'' <small>Gaillard, 1899</small>
* †''L. mbitensis'' <small>Schmidt-Kittler, 1987</small>
* †''L. namibiensis'' <small>Morales ''et al.'', 2008</small>
* †''L. peignei'', <small>Grohé ''et al''., 2020</small>
* †''L. rangwai'' <small>Schmidt-Kittler, 1987</small>
* †''L. senutae'' <small>Morales ''et al.'', 2008</small>

==Behaviour and ecology==
Some mongoose species are solitary, while others live in pairs or large groups.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |date=2025-02-16 |title=Mongoose {{!}} Species & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/animal/mongoose |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>
Some species can learn simple tricks, and are kept as pets to control [[vermin]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sherman |first=D. M. |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=J6oxHWOnRgoC |page=45}} |title=Tending Animals in the Global Village: A Guide to International Veterinary Medicine |date=2007 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-470-29210-5}}</ref>

==Cultural significance==
In ancient [[Mesopotamia]], mongooses were sacred to the deity [[Ninkilim]], who was conflated with [[Ningirama]], a deity of magic who was invoked for protection against serpents. According to a [[Babylonia]]n popular saying, when a mouse fled from a mongoose into a serpent's hole, it announced, "I bring you greetings from the snake-charmer!" A creature resembling a mongoose also appears in Old Babylonian [[glyptic art]], but its significance is not known.<ref name="BlackGreen1992">{{cite book |last1=Black |first1=J. |first2=A. |last2=Green |title=Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=05LXAAAAMAAJ}} |publisher=The British Museum Press |year=1992 |isbn=0-7141-1705-6 |page=132 }}</ref>

All mongoose species, except for ''Suricata suricatta'', are classed as a "prohibited new organism" under New Zealand's [[Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996]], preventing them from being imported into the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1996/0030/latest/DLM386556.html#DLM386556 |title=Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 2003 – Schedule 2 Prohibited new organisms |publisher=New Zealand Government |access-date=26 January 2012}}</ref>
{{more citations needed|section|date = October 2020}}
A well-known fictional mongoose is [[Rikki-Tikki-Tavi]], who appears in a [[short story]] of the same title in ''[[The Jungle Book]]'' (1894) by [[Rudyard Kipling]]. In this tale set in India, a young pet mongoose saves his human family from a [[Common krait|krait]] and from Nag and Nagaina, two [[cobra]]s. The story was later made into several films and a song by [[Donovan]], among other references. A mongoose is also featured in [[Bram Stoker]]'s novel ''[[The Lair of the White Worm]]''. The main character, Adam Salton, purchases one to independently hunt snakes. Another mongoose features in the denouement of the [[Sherlock Holmes]] story "[[The Adventure of the Crooked Man]]", by [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]]. The Indian Tamil devotional film ''[[Padai Veetu Amman]]'' shows Tamil actor [[Vinu Chakravarthy]] changing himself into a mongoose by using his evil tantric [[mantra]], to fight the goddess Amman.  However, the mongoose finally dies at the hands of the goddess.

Mongoose species are prohibited to be kept as pets in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |author=Krueger, A. |date=2010 |url=http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/185181/ |title=Remembering Duluth's famous mongoose, Mr. Magoo |work=[[Duluth News Tribune]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201220233/http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/185181/ |archive-date=1 February 2014 }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of herpestids]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |first=A. |last=Rasa |title=Mongoose Watch: A Family Observed |location=Garden City, N.Y. |publisher=Anchor Press, Doubleday & Co |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-385-23175-6 |oclc=12664019}}
* {{cite journal |jstor=40460438|title=Man and Mongoose in Indian Culture |last1=Lodrick|first1=D. O. |journal=Anthropos |year=1982|volume=77|issue=1/2|pages=191–214}}

==External links==
{{Wikispecies|Herpestidae}}
{{Commons|Herpestidae}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Ichneumon |short=x}}

{{Carnivora|F.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q80479}}

[[Category:Mongooses| ]]
[[Category:Extant Oligocene first appearances]]
[[Category:Mammals of Africa]]
[[Category:Mammals of Asia]]
[[Category:Marathi terms]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte]]