Herpestes javanicus
Indian mongoose
(Also: Javan mongoose)

The small Indian mongoose was originally found across southeast Asia from Pakistan to the south coast of China, and throughout the Malay Peninsula and Java (Corbet and Hill 1992). However, this species has been widely introduced, including to the West Indies, South America, Japan, Europe and several Pacific islands, to help control rodent and snake populations (Nellis and Everard 1983, Tyrtkovic and Krystufek 1990, Ogura et al. 1998). (Corbet and Hill, 1992; Nellis and Everard, 1983; Ogura, Sakashita, and Kawashima, 1998; Tyrtkovic and Krysufek, 1990)

In the Caribbean, small Indian mongooses are found only in dry forest and scrubland (Nellis and Everard 1983). On Pacific islands, they are found both in these dry habitats and also in rainforest (Tomich 1979). No study has been done to determine their habitat in the natural range. (Nellis and Everard, 1983; Tomich, 1979)

The Javan mongoose shares the typical traits of mongooses but is small. They have a pointed head, a long tail, and thick hair except on their lower legs (Ewer 1977). Their fur coat can stand on end, which make the animal appear twice as large when it combats such enemies as poisonous reptiles.

Males average 650 g in weight and females 430 g. (Ewer, 1977)

Small Indian mongooses are completely diurnal animals. In captivity, adults take part in many types of play and games of curiosity (Nellis and Everard). Mutual grooming has been observed between captive individuals of either sex, but only between mother and offspring in wild individuals (Nellis and Everard 1983).

Though this is usually described as a solitary species, males have been found to form social groups and even to share burrows, at least during the breeding season (Hays, in review). Behavior that promotes either body warming or cooling has been described by Baldwin. Warming is done in the early hours by exposing as much as possible of the ventral surface to the sun. In hot sunlight they usually cease to be active before panting. When it becomes too hot they seek out the shade and a cool surface on which to lie on their stomachs. If a cool surface is not available, they sometimes scratch away the warm surface soil before lying down (Baldwin et al. 1952). (Baldwin, Schwartz, and Schwartz, 1952; Nellis and Everard, 1983)

Several large field studies have revealed the small Indian mongoose to be primarily an insectivore, though it also feeds opportunistically on small vertebrates (studies summarized in Cavallini and Serafini 1995). An early field study of the amount and type of food eaten by a mongoose was done on the small Indian mongoose on the island of Trinidad (Williams 1918). In this study, the nature of their foodstuffs depended largely on the opportunities available. An examination of the stomachs of 180 individuals revealed insects, spiders, snails, slugs, frogs, lizards, snakes, birds, eggs of birds and reptiles, all kinds of rodents, crabs, fish and fruits (Williams 1918). Members of this species have also been known to catch mammals many times their size, up to the size of hares and even the young of white-tailed deer (Seaman & Randall 1962). (Cavallini and Nel, 1995; Seaman and Randall, 1962; Williams, 1918)

Small Indian mongooses, like many other mongoose species, are famous for their killing techniques, particular when it comes to venomous snakes such as fer-de-lance and habu pit vipers, which they kill in captivity. Vertebrate prey is usually killed with a bite to the back of the head (Ewer 1977). (Ewer, 1977)

No study has checked whether small Indian mongooses in their native range affect humans. Populations in many areas of introduction carry rabies, and immense programs are occasionally needed to control these populations (Nellis and Everard 1983). Introduced populations have also driven at least one bird species extinct, and have extirpated dozens of vertebrates from islands around the world, including many endangered species (Hays and Conant, in review). (Nellis and Everard, 1983)

This mongoose was introduced into many nations of the West Indies, beginning in the 1870s, for the purpose of controlling rats in sugar cane plantations. In 1883 they were imported to the Hawaiian Islands for the same reason. Both cases proved to be among the most disastrous attempts ever made at biological control. In both instances the mongoose not only did tremendous damage on its own account (extirpating many native species), but at best only partially reduced the populations of rats (Hinton & Dunn 1967). (Hinton and Dunn, 1967)

Its conservation is not an issue; in fact in the West Indies and Hawaiian islands control measures are necessary and expensive.