Herpestes ichneumon
Egyptian mongoose

Herpestes ichneumon is distributed in Spain, Portugal, Israel, and most of Africa except for central Zaire, the West African lowland forests and southeastern South Africa. It was introduced to Madagascar and Italy (Hinton and Dunn, 1967).

Egyptian mongooses are ground inhabitants who prefer regions with trees near water. They hide and find shelter in burrows, hollow logs or trees, holes in the ground, and rock crevices, especially during the night. Today their habitat also includes cultivated fields and vegetated canal banks (Osborn, 1998).

Egyptian mongooses are unassuming creatures with their long-haired, grey coats dotted with brownish speckles; sometimes, the coat is reddish brown with yellow speckles but this is infrequent. A narrow, naked strip of skin surrounds the eyes. Their slender body stands out in sharp contrast to the long, bushy tail, which ends in a black tassel. They have a long, low-slung form which appears reptilian from a distance. The body length is 48 to 60 cm with the tail measuring 33 to 54 cm. They have a long face, small rounded ears which don't project above the head, short legs with five digits on each limb, hind feet which are naked to the heel and foreclaws that are sharp and curved for digging. Another very important feature is the existence of large anal sac containing two glandular openings. These animals have 35 to 40 teeth of which the carnassal are well developed for sheering flesh. If excited, H. ichneumon can bristle its hair and arch its back to appear two times its actual size. (Hayssen, 1993; Kingdon, 1977; Osborn, 1998)

One particular mongoose in captivity lived over 20 years, although that is rare. In the wild they live approximately 12 years (Novak, 1991).

Little is known about the behavior of H. ichneumon. It is said to be everything from a solitary creature to living in pairs to tending to hunt in pacts. Some scientists say they have active social lives but there is little documentation for this. A two year study of Egyptian mongooses in Donana National Park found the average group size to be anywhere from one to seven. Adults were spotted in pairs or living alone all year long. Environmental pressures, mainly food, prevented large stable groups. In general these animals are alert and agile. They are diurnal and are said to be very playful. However, in the wild they have also been described as extremely vicious. If they are young enough they can be tamed and may have even have been house pets before cats. They will quickly enter water and swim well. They love to bask in the morning sun. The glands near the anus have a peculiar use; when one animal follows another, it has its nose on the anus of the leader for orientation. This behavior originates when young mongooses closely follow their mothers. Scent markings with these same anal glands could communicate a female's estrous condition and/or act as a marker for an individual or a pack. The instinct to chase an anal scent is so strong that when alone, an individual may put its nose under its own tail (Kingdon, 1977; Osborn, 1998; Palomares and Delibes, 1993).

Meals consist of invertebrates, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Sometimes, H. ichneumon even dines on fruit. Eggs are a favored delicacy. In fact, The Egyptian mongooses came by their scientific name because the animal was believed to track down crocodile eggs. Whether or not that is true is still unknown. Mongooses have an interesting way of eating eggs: they throw them through their hind legs against something hard like a rock or wall. Also, like their famous relatives, Small Indian Mongooses, Herpestes javanicus, which starred in Kipling's Rikki Tikki Tavi, Ichneumons have a reputation for snake killing. It is commonly believed that mongooses are immune to snake poisons, but this is not so. They are described as having "lightning-fast reflexes," and they erect all the hair on their bodies when on the attack. This is thought to confuse the reptile. With quick and skillful movement, they seize it from behind the head. They don't actually chase their prey but merely encounter it after continuous exploratory walking; then with one speedy strike, make the kill. They can defend themselves from snakes as well. Egyptian Mongooses have the ability to predict and dodge the strike of a snake attack and then catch the snakes head before another strike (Kingdon, 1977; Osborn, 1998).

These mongooses also hunt insects. They place their noses to the earth sniffing until they smell an insect and then they either snatch it up as the unsuspecting bug meanders along above ground or dig it out from below the dirt.

Egyptian mongooses have a large impact on their prey populations, including snakes and rodents.

Along with controlling local pests, H. ichneumon is capable of killing harmless birds and mammals and other desirable wildlife. This has lead to the extinction and endangerment of some species. They are also a serious pest to chicken farmers. Egyptian mongooses have decimated enough species that the importation and possession of these mongooses is forbidden in some countries (Novak, 1991).

Member of this species are very well-known for their ability to catch creatures that are pests to humans. Egyptian mongooses are important in eliminating rats, mice, and especially snakes. They have been introduced to places in hopes of keeping local pest populations in check (Osborn, 1998).

With a wide distribution and high population, the Egyptian mongoose is in no trouble of becoming endangered. In fact, in most mongoose populations, they are the most abundant carnivores living in an area.

Egyptian mongooses have been immortalized in Egyptian paintings going back to around 300 B.C. It was known as the "Pharaoh's Cat" and was considered a holy animal. They were housed in temples and were put as gladiators in arenas to dual with snakes. Skulls of these animals were found in tombs and also mummified remains have been discovered. Legend has it that before a snake hunt they rolled in mud several times and allowed each layer to dry, thus forming a protective shield. They were also the object of many myths because of their talent of "sneaking around" and robbing nests. Human children were the items kidnapped in these tales. Eventually, probably out of respect for their deceptiveness, these mongooses became sacred to the Egyptian people (Osborn, 1998; Minnesota State University, 2001).