Banded Mongoose


Banded Mongoose

 

(Mungos mungo), a predatory mammal of the family Viverridae. The body length measures 30–45 cm, and the tail length, 23–29 cm. The banded mongoose is short-legged. Its coarse hair is brownish gray with alternating light and dark transverse bands. The banded mongoose is found throughout Africa south of the Sahara. It lives in groups along the banks of rivers and in thorn thickets. It builds no burrow or nest of its own but takes up temporary quarters in any shelter that it finds convenient. The banded mongoose feeds on insects and their larvae, on small rodents, on lizards, and on snakes. Occasionally, the generic name Mungo is applied to another genus of Viverridae, Herpestes.