Carnivores And Insectivores Codexery

Egyptian mongoose

A mongoose of African and Mediterranean wetlands and shrublands.

Last updated

The Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) is a mongoose species native to Africa and the Mediterranean Basin.[1] It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List due to its widespread occurrence.[2] There is uncertainty regarding whether the Egyptian mongoose is indigenous to the Iberian Peninsula or was brought there by humans.[2]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. InfraclassPlacentalia
  4. OrderCarnivora
  5. FamilyHerpestidae
  6. GenusHerpestes
  7. SpeciesHerpestes ichneumon

Named by (Linnaeus, 1758)

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Egyptian mongoose (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Conservation status

Least Concern (LC)

  1. LC▲ this species
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2016

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

Where the egyptian mongoose has been recorded

Where the egyptian mongoose has been recorded10 mapped locations from 17,294 GBIF occurrence records

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (17,294 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 194 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)

Quick Facts

Genus
Herpestes
Species
ichneumon

Facts from the source article.

Biology and range

It has a pointed snout, small ears, and furless hind feet and eye area.[3] The Egyptian mongoose is diurnal, and in Doñana National Park individuals were seen alone, in pairs, or in groups of up to five.[4] This mongoose's slim body measures between 48 and 60 cm in length, and its tail, which has a black tip, is 33 to 54 cm long.[3] Habitats favored by the Egyptian mongoose include swamps, marshes, and coastal zones, as well as areas near streams, rivers, and lakes.[3]

Within the Iberian Peninsula, this species is found in maquis shrubland, particularly where such vegetation is dense and located close to rivers.[3] Deserts are not part of the Egyptian mongoose's habitat.[3] Rodents, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects are among the prey of the Egyptian mongoose, which also consumes fruit and eggs.[3]

What the specialist sources record

A 1992 study in southwestern Spain found that of 16 dead mongooses, only 6.3% died from natural causes, while the rest died from human activities including illegal hunting and road kills.[5] GBIF holds 18,919 occurrence records for Herpestes ichneumon as of October 2026.[6] According to the same research, a gestation period of 11 weeks results in the birth of two to three pups, which occurs from mid-April to mid-August.[7] An elegy for an ichneumon that was brought to Haverhill Academy in Massachusetts in 1830 was composed by the American poet John Greenleaf Whittier.[8]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Egyptian mongoose" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Chambers Dictionary", Chambers, 2003 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Egyptian mongoose" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Do Linh San, E., "Herpestes ichneumon", 2016 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Egyptian mongoose" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Palomares, F., "The Mammals of Africa. V. Carnivores, Pangolins, Equids and Rhinoceroses", Bloomsbury, 2013, p. 306−310 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Egyptian mongoose" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Estes, "The Behavior Guide to African Mammals: Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, Primates", University of California Press, 1991, p. 298–302 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. "Some physical and population characteristics of Egyptian mongooses (Herpertes ichneumon L., 1758) in southwestern Spain", Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde, 1992, p. 94–99. facts only, no text reused. digital.csic.es
  6. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Herpestes ichneumon (taxon key 2434255). CC BY 4.0 (backbone); counts are facts. gbif.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Egyptian mongoose" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Some physical and population characteristics of Egyptian mongooses (Herpertes ichneumon L., 1758) in southwestern Spain", Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde, 1992, p. 94–99 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Egyptian mongoose" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Whittier, "The Dead Ichneumon", 1902, p. 2746–2747; Conan Doyle, "The Adventure of the Crooked Man", A. L. Burt Company, 1893 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Egyptian mongoose (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. In what year was the Egyptian mongoose first scientifically described?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1758.

2. What is the IUCN Red List category of the Egyptian mongoose?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Least Concern.

3. What is the scientific name of the Egyptian mongoose?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Herpestes ichneumon.

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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