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Mongooses
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 in the Early Miocene and Genetic divergence, genetically diverged into two main genetic lineage, lineages between 19.1 and . 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: or in classical Hindi; in Marathi language, Marathi; in Telugu language, Telugu; , and in Kannada. The form of the English name (since 1698) was altered to its "-:wikt:goose, goose" ending by folk etymology. It was spelled "mungoose" in the 18th and 19t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Gray Mongoose
The Indian grey mongoose or Asian grey mongoose (''Urva edwardsii'') is a mongoose species native to the Indian subcontinent and West Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The grey mongoose inhabits open forests, scrublands and cultivated fields, often close to human habitation. It lives in burrows, hedgerows and thickets, among groves of trees, and takes shelter under rocks or bushes and even in drains. It is bold and inquisitive but wary, seldom venturing far from cover. It is an excellent climber and usually lives singly or in pairs. Its prey includes rodents, snakes, birds’ eggs and hatchlings, lizards and a variety of invertebrates. Along the Chambal River it occasionally feeds on gharial eggs. It breeds throughout the year. Taxonomy ''Ichneumon edwardsii'' was the scientific name proposed by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1817. It was later classified in the genus '' Herpestes'', but all Asian mongooses are now classified in the genus '' Urva'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
