fbpx
Wikipedia

Mongoose

February 16, 2024

This article is about the mongoose family Herpestidae. For Malagasy mongooses, see Galidiinae. For other uses, see Mongoose (disambiguation).

A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family is currently split into 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.[2] The Herpestidae originated about 21.8 ± 3.6 million years ago in the Early Miocene and genetically diverged into two main genetic lineages between 19.1 and 18.5 ± 3.5 million years ago.[3]

Mongoose
Temporal range: Early Miocene to present, 21.8–0 Ma
Top left: Meerkat
Top right: Yellow mongoose
Bottom left: Slender mongoose
Bottom right: Indian gray mongoose
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Superfamily: Herpestoidea
Family: Herpestidae
Bonaparte, 1845
Type genus
Herpestes
Genera[1]
List
Synonyms[1]
List
  • Rhinogalidae, Gray, 1869
  • Suricatinae, Thomas, 1882
  • Cynictidae, Cope, 1882
  • Suricatidae, Cope, 1882
  • Herpestoidei, Winge, 1895
  • Mongotidae, Pocock, 1920

Etymology

The English word "mongoose" used to be spelled "mungoose" in the 18th and 19th centuries. The name is derived from names used in India for Herpestes species:[4][5][6][7]muṅgūs or maṅgūs in classical Hindi;[8]muṅgūs in Marathi;[9]mungisa in Telugu;[10]mungi, mungisi and munguli in Kannada.[11]

The form of the English name (since 1698) was altered to its "-goose" ending by folk etymology.[12] The plural form is "mongooses".[13]

Characteristics

Mongooses have long faces and bodies, small, rounded ears, short legs, and long, tapering tails. Most are brindled or grizzly; a few have strongly marked coats which bear a striking resemblance to mustelids. Their nonretractile claws are used primarily for digging. Mongooses, much like goats, have narrow, ovular pupils. Most species have a large anal scent gland, used for territorial marking and signaling reproductive status. The dental formula of mongooses is 3.1.3–4.1–23.1.3–4.1–2. They range from 24 to 58 cm (9.4 to 22.8 in) in head-to-body length, excluding the tail. In weight, they range from 320 g (11 oz) to 5 kg (11 lb).[14]

Mongooses are one of at least four known mammalian taxa with mutations in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor that protect against snake venom.[15] Their modified receptors prevent the snake venom α-neurotoxin from binding. These represent four separate, independent mutations. In the mongoose, this change is effected, uniquely, by glycosylation.[16]

Taxonomy

Herpestina was a scientific name proposed by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1845 who considered the mongooses a subfamily of the Viverridae.[17] In 1864, John Edward Gray classified the mongooses into three subfamilies: Galidiinae, Herpestinae and Mungotinae.[18] This grouping was supported by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1919, who referred to the family as "Mungotidae".[19]

Genetic research based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA analyses revealed that the Galidiinae are more closely related to Madagascar carnivores, including the fossa and Malagasy civet.[20][21] Galidiinae is presently considered a subfamily of Eupleridae.[22]

Subfamily Genus Species Image of type species
Herpestinae Herpestes Illiger, 1811[23]  
Atilax Cuvier, 1826[29] Marsh mongoose (A. paludinosus) (Cuvier, 1829)[30]  
Cynictis Ogilby, 1833[31] Yellow mongoose (C. penicillata) (Cuvier, 1829)[30]  
Urva Hodgson, 1836[32]  
Ichneumia Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1837[38] White-tailed mongoose (I. albicauda) (Cuvier, 1829)[30]  
Bdeogale Peters, 1850[39]  
Rhynchogale Thomas, 1894[45] Meller's mongoose (R. melleri) Gray, 1865[18]  
Paracynictis Pocock, 1916 Selous's mongoose (P. selousi) (de Winton, 1896)  
Xenogale Allen, 1919[46] Long-nosed mongoose (X. naso) (de Winton, 1901)[47]  
Mungotinae Mungos E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire & F. Cuvier, 1795[48]  
Suricata Desmarest, 1804[51] Meerkat (S. suricatta) (Schreber, 1776)[52]  
Crossarchus Cuvier, 1825  
Helogale Gray, 1861  
Dologale Thomas, 1920 Pousargues's mongoose (D. dybowskii) Pousargues, 1894[53]  
Liberiictis Hayman, 1958 Liberian mongoose (L. kuhni) Hayman, 1958

Phylogenetic relationships

Phylogenetic research of 18 mongoose species revealed that the solitary and social mongooses form different clades.[54] The phylogenetic relationships of Herpestidae are shown in the following cladogram:[55][3]

 Herpestidae 
 Herpestinae 
 Bdeogale 

Bdeogale jacksoni (Jackson's mongoose)

Bdeogale nigripes (Black-footed mongoose)

Bdeogale crassicauda (Bushy-tailed mongoose)

 Rhynchogale 

Rhynchogale melleri (Meller's mongoose)  

 Paracynictis 

Paracynictis selousi (Selous's mongoose)

 Cynictis 

Cynictis penicillata (Yellow mongoose)

 Ichneumia 

Ichneumia albicauda (White-tailed mongoose)

Herpestes

Herpestes ichneumon (Egyptian mongoose)[3]

Herpestes sanguinea (Slender mongoose)

Herpestes pulverulenta (Cape gray mongoose)

Herpestes ochracea (Somalian slender mongoose)

Herpestes flavescens (Angolan slender mongoose) (including black mongoose)

 Atilax 

Atilax paludinosus (Marsh mongoose)

 Xenogale[3]

Xenogale naso (Long-nosed mongoose)

†"Herpestes lemanensis"

 Urva 

Urva brachyura (Short-tailed mongoose)

Urva semitorquata (Collared mongoose)

Urva urva (Crab-eating mongoose)

Urva smithii (Ruddy mongoose)

Urva vitticolla (Stripe-necked mongoose)

Urva fusca (Indian brown mongoose)

Urva edwardsii (Indian gray mongoose)

Urva javanica (Small Asian mongoose)  

 Mungotinae 
 Helogale 

Helogale parvula (Common dwarf mongoose)

Helogale hirtula (Ethiopian dwarf mongoose)

 Dologale 

Dologale dybowskii (Pousargues's mongoose)

 Crossarchus 

Crossarchus alexandri (Alexander's kusimanse)

Crossarchus ansorgei (Angolan kusimanse)

Crossarchus platycephalus (Flat-headed kusimanse)

Crossarchus obscurus (Common kusimanse)  

 Liberiictis 

Liberiictis kuhni (Liberian mongoose)

 Mungos 

Mungos gambianus (Gambian mongoose)

Mungos mungo (Banded mongoose)  

 Suricata 

Suricata suricatta (Meerkat)  

Extinct species

Atilax Cuvier, 1826

Herpestes Illiger, 1811

Leptoplesictis Major, 1903[56]

  • †L. atavus Beaumont, 1973
  • †L. aurelianensis Schlosser, 1888
  • †L. filholi Gaillard, 1899
  • †L. mbitensis Schmidt-Kittler, 1987
  • †L. namibiensis Morales et al., 2008
  • †L. peignei, Grohé et al., 2020
  • †L. rangwai Schmidt-Kittler, 1987
  • †L. senutae Morales et al., 2008

Behaviour and ecology

Mongooses mostly feed on insects, crabs, earthworms, lizards, birds, and rodents. However, they also eat eggs and carrion.[57]

Some species can learn simple tricks. They can be tamed and are kept as pets to control vermin.[58]

Cultural significance

In ancient Mesopotamia, mongooses were sacred to the deity Ninkilim, who was conflated with Ningirama, a deity of magic who was invoked for protection against serpents. According to a Babylonian popular saying, when a mouse fled from a mongoose into a serpent's hole, it announced, "I bring you greetings from the snake-charmer!" A creature resembling a mongoose also appears in Old Babylonian glyptic art, but its significance is not known.[59]

All mongoose species, except for Suricata suricatta, are classed as a "prohibited new organism" under New Zealand's Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996, preventing them from being imported into the country.[60]

A well-known fictional mongoose is Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, who appears in a short story of the same title in The Jungle Book (1894) by Rudyard Kipling. In this tale set in India, a young pet mongoose saves his human family from a krait and from Nag and Nagaina, two cobras. The story was later made into several films and a song by Donovan, among other references. A mongoose is also featured in Bram Stoker's novel The Lair of the White Worm. The main character, Adam Salton, purchases one to independently hunt snakes. Another mongoose features in the denouement of the Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Crooked Man", by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Indian Tamil devotional film Padai Veetu Amman shows Tamil actor Vinu Chakravarthy changing himself into a mongoose by using his evil tantric mantra, to fight the goddess Amman. However, the mongoose finally dies at the hands of the goddess.

Mongoose species are prohibited to be kept as pets in the United States.[61]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Family Herpestidae". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 562–571. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ^ Gilchrist, J.S.; Jennings, A.P.; Veron, G. & Cavallini, P. (2009). "Family Herpestidae (Mongooses)". In Wilson, D. E. & Mittermeier, R. A. (eds.). Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Vol. 1. Carnivores. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. pp. 262–328. ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1.
  3. ^ a b c d Patou, M.; Mclenachan, P.A.; Morley, C.G.; Couloux, A.; Jennings, A.P.; Veron, G. (2009). "Molecular phylogeny of the Herpestidae (Mammalia, Carnivora) with a special emphasis on the Asian Herpestes". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 53 (1): 69–80. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2009.05.038. PMID 19520178.
  4. ^ Valentini, M.B. & Major, J.D. (1714). "Viverra Indica grysea. Mungos". Museum museorum, oder, Vollständige Schau Bühne aller Materialien und Specereyen. Vol. 2 Appendix IX. Franckfurt am Mayn: Johann David Zunners Sel. Erben, und Johann Adam Jungen. p. 24.
  5. ^ Jerdon, T.C. (1874). "127. Herpestes griseus". The mammals of India; a natural history of all the animals known to inhabit continental India. London: J. Wheldon. pp. 132–134.
  6. ^ Sterndale, R.A. (1884). "Herpestidae. The Ichneumon or Mungoose Family". Natural history of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon. Calcutta: Thacker & Spink. pp. 222–228.
  7. ^ Lydekker, R. (1894). "XIII. The Mungooses. Genus Herpestes". A hand-book to the Carnivora. Part 1: Cats, civets, and mungooses. London: Edward Lloyd Limited. pp. 244–269.
  8. ^ Platts, J.T. (1884). "منگوس मुंगूस muṅgūs, or मंगूस maṅgūs. The Mongoose, or ichneumon, Viverra ichneumon". A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English. London: W. H. Allen & Co. p. 1081.
  9. ^ Molesworth, J. T. (1857). . A dictionary, Marathi and English (Second, revised and enlarged ed.). Bombay: Printed for Government at the Bombay Education Society's Press. p. 384. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  10. ^ Brown, C.P. (1903). "ముంగి or ముంగిస mungi. The ichneumon or mongoose, a kind of weasel. Viverra ichneumon". A Telugu-English dictionary (New, thoroughly revised and brought up to date second ed.). Madras: Promoting Christian Knowledge. p. 997.
  11. ^ Reeve, W. & Sanderson, D. (1858). "ಮುಂಗಿ, ಮುಂಗಿಸಿ, ಮುಂಗುಲಿ". A dictionary, Canarese and English (Revised, corrected and enlarged ed.). Bangalore: Wesleyan Mission Press. p. 787.
  12. ^ Forsyth, M. (2012). "Folk etymology". The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language. Penguin Books. p. 77. ISBN 978-1-101-61176-0.
  13. ^ Hinton, H. E. & Dunn, A. M. S. (1967). "Preface". Mongooses: Their Natural History and Behaviour. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. v. OCLC 1975837.
  14. ^ Macdonald, D., ed. (2009). The Encyclopedia of Mammals. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 660. ISBN 978-0-19-956799-7.
  15. ^ Barchan, D.; Kachalsky, S., Neumann, D., Vogel, Z., Ovadia, M., Kochva, E. and Fuchs, S. (1992). "How the mongoose can fight the snake: the binding site of the mongoose acetylcholine receptor" (PDF). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 89 (16): 7717–7721. Bibcode:1992PNAS...89.7717B. doi:10.1073/pnas.89.16.7717. PMC 49782. PMID 1380164.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Drabeck, D. H.; Dean, A. M.; Jansa, S. A. (2015). "Why the honey badger don't care: Convergent evolution of venom-targeted nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in mammals that survive venomous snake bites". Toxicon. 99: 68–72. doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2015.03.007. PMID 25796346.
  17. ^ Bonaparte, C. L. (1845). "Fam. VII. Viverridae". Catalogo Methodico dei Mammiferi Europei. Milan, Italy: L. di Giacomo Pirola. p. 8.
  18. ^ a b Gray, J.E. (1865). "A revision of the genera and species of viverrine animals (Viverridae) founded on the collection in the British Museum". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London: 502–579.
  19. ^ Pocock, R. I. (1919). "The classification of mongooses (Mungotidae)". The Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 9 (3): 515–524. doi:10.1080/00222931908673851.
  20. ^ Yoder, A. D.; Burns, M. M.; Zehr, S.; Delefosse, T.; Veron, G.; Goodman, S. M.; Flynn, J. J. (2003). "Single origin of Malagasy carnivora from an African ancestor". Nature. 421 (6924): 434–437. Bibcode:2003Natur.421..734Y. doi:10.1038/nature01303. PMID 12610623. S2CID 4404379.
  21. ^ Flynn, J. J.; Finarelli, J.; Zehr, S.; Hsu, J.; Nedbal, M. (2005). "Molecular phylogeny of the Carnivora (Mammalia): Assessing the Impact of Increased sampling on resolving enigmatic relationships". Systematic Biology. 54 (2): 317–337. doi:10.1080/10635150590923326. PMID 16012099.
  22. ^ Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M., eds. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  23. ^ Illiger, C. (1815). . Abhandlungen der Königlichen Preußischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin. 1804−1811: 39−159. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  24. ^ Linnaeus, C. (1758). "Viverra ichneumon". Caroli Linnæi Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Vol. Tomus I (Decima, reformata ed.). Holmiae: Laurentius Salvius. p. 41. (in Latin)
  25. ^ Rüppell, E. (1835). "Herpestes sanguineus. Rüppell". Neue Wirbelthiere zu der Fauna von Abyssinien gehörig. Frankfurt am Main: S. Schmerber. pp. 27–28.
  26. ^ Wagner, J.A. (1839). "Über die Verwandtschafts-Verhältnisse der Pharaonsratte". Gelehrte Anzeigen der Königlich Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu München. 9 (183): 425–429.
  27. ^ Gray, J.E. (1848). "Description of a new species of Herpestes, from Abyssinia". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (November): 138–139.
  28. ^ Bocage, J.V.B. (1889). "Mammifère d'Angola et du Congo". Jornal de Sciencias mathematicas, physicas e naturaes. 2. 1: 174–185.
  29. ^ Cuvier, F. G. (1826). "Vansire". In E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire; Cuvier, F. G. (eds.). Histoire Naturelle des Mammifères: avec des figures originales, coloriées, dessinées d'aprèsdes animaux vivans. Tome 5. Paris: A. Belin. p. LIV.
  30. ^ a b c Cuvier, G. (1829). "Les Mangoustes. Cuv. (Herpestes, Illiger)". Le règne animal distribué d'après son organisation, pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparée. Paris: Chez Déterville. pp. 157–158.
  31. ^ Ogilby, W. (1833). "Characters of a new Genus of carnivorous Mammalia from the collection of Mr. Steedman". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (Part 1): 48–49.
  32. ^ a b c Hodgson, B. H. (1836). "Synoptical description of sundry new animals, enumerated in the Catalogue of Nepalese Mammals". Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 5: 231–238.
  33. ^ a b Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, É. (1817). "De l'Ichneumon. Ichneumon pharaon". In Jomard, E. F. (ed.). Description de l'Égypte, ou, Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l'éxpédition de l'armée française. Vol. Tome II. Paris: Commission des Sciences et Arts d'Egypte. pp. 137–144.
  34. ^ Bennett, E. T. (1835). "Remarks on some Mammalia from Travancore, including a New Species of Herpestes". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. III: 66–67.
  35. ^ a b Gray, J. E. (1837). "Description of some or little known Mammalia, principally in the British Mueum Collection". The Magazine of Natural History and Journal of Zoology, Botany, Mineralogy, Geology and Meteorology. I (November): 577–587.
  36. ^ Waterhouse, G. R. (1838). "On two new species of Mammalia, from the Society's collection, belonging to the genera Gerbillus and Herpestes". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. VI: 55–56.
  37. ^ Gray, J.E. (1846). "New species of Mammalia". The Annals and Magazine of Natural History; Zoology, Botany, and Geology. 18 (118): 211–212.
  38. ^ Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, I. (1837). "Notices sur deux nouveaux genres de Mammifères carnassiers, les Ichneumies, du continent Africain, et les Galidies de Madagascar". Annales des Sciences Naturelles. 2. 8: 249–252.
  39. ^ Peters, W. (1850). "Bdeogale". Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin: 94.
  40. ^ Peters, W. (1852). "Mittheilung über die in Mossambique beobachteten Mangusten". Verhandlungen der Königlich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin: 81–82.
  41. ^ Pucheran, J.P. (1855). "Les Mammifères de la côte occidental d'Afrique". Revue et magasin de zoologie pure et appliquée. 2. 7: 111.
  42. ^ Thomas, O. (1894). "On a new African Genus of Mustelidae". The Annals and Magazine of Natural History; Zoology, Botany, and Geology. 6. 13 (78): 522–524.
  43. ^ Heller, E. (1914). "New antelopes and carnivores from British East Africa". Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. 61 (2240): 1–15.
  44. ^ Foley, C. & Do Linh San, E. (2016). "Bdeogale omnivora". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T136686A45221619.
  45. ^ Thomas, O. (1894). "On the mammals of Nyasaland: third contribution". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (February): 136–146.
  46. ^ Allen, J. A. (1919). "Preliminary notes on African Carnivora". Journal of Mammalogy. 1 (1): 23–31. doi:10.2307/1373716. JSTOR 1373716.
  47. ^ de Winton, W. E. (1901). "Description of a New Mongoose from West Africa". Bulletin of the Liverpool Museums Under the City Council. 3 (2): 35–37.
  48. ^ Geoffroy, E. & Cuvier, F. (1795). "Mémoire sur une nouvelle division des Mammifères, et sur Ies principes qui doivent servir de base dans cette sorte de travail, lu à la société d'Histoire naturelle, le premier floréal de l'an troisième". In Millin; Noel & Warens (eds.). Magasin Encyclopédique: ou journal des sciences, des lettres et des arts. Vol. Tome second. Paris: I'lmprimerie du Magazin Encyclopédique. pp. 164–189.
  49. ^ Gmelin, J. F. (1788). "Viverra mungo". Caroli a Linné, Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Vol. I (13th aucta, reformata ed.). Lipsiae: Georg Emanuel Beer. pp. 84–85.
  50. ^ Ogilby, W. (1835). "Descriptions of Mammalia and Birds from the Gambia". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. Part III: 97–105.
  51. ^ Desmarest, A. G. (1804). "Genre Surikate, Suricata Nob.". In Deterville, J. F. P. (ed.). Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle appliquée aux arts: principalement à l'agriculture et à l'économie rurale et domestique. Vol. 24. Paris: Deterville. p. 15.
  52. ^ Schreber, J. C. D. (1776). "Viverra suricata". Die Säugethiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur, mit Beschreibungen. Erlangen: Expedition des Schreber'schen Säugthier- und des Esper'schen Schmetterlingswerkes. p. CVII.
  53. ^ de Pousargues, E. (1894). "Description d'une nouvelle espèce de mammifère du genre Crossarchus et considérations sur la répartition géographique des crossarques rayés". Nouvelles Archives du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle. 3 (in French). 6: 121–134.
  54. ^ Veron, G.; Colyn, M.; Dunham, A.E.; Taylor, P.; Gaubert, P. (2004). "Molecular systematics and origin of sociality in mongooses (Herpestidae, Carnivora)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 30 (3): 582–598. doi:10.1016/S1055-7903(03)00229-X. PMID 15012940.
  55. ^ Barycka, E. (2005). "Evolution and systematics of the feliform Carnivora". Mammalian Biology. 72 (5): 257–282. doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2006.10.011.
  56. ^ Morales, J.; Pickford, M.; Salesa, M.J. (2008). "Creodonta and Carnivora from the Early Miocene of the Northern Sperrgebiet, Namibia". Memoir of the Geological Survey of Namibia. 20: 291–310.
  57. ^ Cronk, N. E.; Pillay, N. (2018). "Food choice and feeding on carrion in two African mongoose species in an urban environment". Acta Ethologica. 21 (2): 127–136. doi:10.1007/s10211-018-0291-x. S2CID 21688548.
  58. ^ Sherman, D. M. (2007). Tending Animals in the Global Village: A Guide to International Veterinary Medicine. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-29210-5.
  59. ^ Black, J.; Green, A. (1992). Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary. The British Museum Press. p. 132. ISBN 0-7141-1705-6.
  60. ^ "Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 2003 - Schedule 2 Prohibited new organisms". New Zealand Government. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  61. ^ Krueger, A. (2010). . Duluth News Tribune. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014.

Further reading

  • Rasa, A. (1986). Mongoose Watch: A Family Observed. Garden City, N.Y.: Anchor Press, Doubleday & Co. ISBN 978-0-385-23175-6. OCLC 12664019.
  • Lodrick, D. O. (1982). "Man and Mongoose in Indian Culture". Anthropos. 77 (1/2): 191–214. JSTOR 40460438.

External links

 
Wikispecies has information related to Herpestidae.
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Herpestidae.

February 16, 2024
mongoose, this, article, about, mongoose, family, herpestidae, malagasy, mongooses, galidiinae, other, uses, disambiguation, mongoose, small, terrestrial, carnivorous, mammal, belonging, family, herpestidae, this, family, currently, split, into, subfamilies, h. This article is about the mongoose family Herpestidae For Malagasy mongooses see Galidiinae For other uses see Mongoose disambiguation A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae This family is currently split into 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 2 The Herpestidae originated about 21 8 3 6 million years ago in the Early Miocene and genetically diverged into two main genetic lineages between 19 1 and 18 5 3 5 million years ago 3 MongooseTemporal range Early Miocene to present 21 8 0 MaTop left MeerkatTop right Yellow mongooseBottom left Slender mongooseBottom right Indian gray mongooseScientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass MammaliaOrder CarnivoraSuborder FeliformiaSuperfamily HerpestoideaFamily HerpestidaeBonaparte 1845Type genusHerpestesJohann Karl Wilhelm Illiger 1811Genera 1 List AtilaxBdeogaleCynictisGalerellaHerpestesIchneumiaParacynictisRhynchogaleCrossarchusDologaleHelogaleLiberiictusMungosSuricataSynonyms 1 List Rhinogalidae Gray 1869Suricatinae Thomas 1882Cynictidae Cope 1882Suricatidae Cope 1882Herpestoidei Winge 1895Mongotidae Pocock 1920 Contents 1 Etymology 2 Characteristics 3 Taxonomy 3 1 Phylogenetic relationships 3 2 Extinct species 4 Behaviour and ecology 5 Cultural significance 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksEtymologyThe English word mongoose used to be spelled mungoose in the 18th and 19th centuries The name is derived from names used in India for Herpestes species 4 5 6 7 muṅgus or maṅgus in classical Hindi 8 muṅgus in Marathi 9 mungisa in Telugu 10 mungi mungisi and munguli in Kannada 11 The form of the English name since 1698 was altered to its goose ending by folk etymology 12 The plural form is mongooses 13 CharacteristicsMongooses have long faces and bodies small rounded ears short legs and long tapering tails Most are brindled or grizzly a few have strongly marked coats which bear a striking resemblance to mustelids Their nonretractile claws are used primarily for digging Mongooses much like goats have narrow ovular pupils Most species have a large anal scent gland used for territorial marking and signaling reproductive status The dental formula of mongooses is 3 1 3 4 1 2 3 1 3 4 1 2 They range from 24 to 58 cm 9 4 to 22 8 in in head to body length excluding the tail In weight they range from 320 g 11 oz to 5 kg 11 lb 14 Mongooses are one of at least four known mammalian taxa with mutations in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor that protect against snake venom 15 Their modified receptors prevent the snake venom a neurotoxin from binding These represent four separate independent mutations In the mongoose this change is effected uniquely by glycosylation 16 TaxonomyHerpestina was a scientific name proposed by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1845 who considered the mongooses a subfamily of the Viverridae 17 In 1864 John Edward Gray classified the mongooses into three subfamilies Galidiinae Herpestinae and Mungotinae 18 This grouping was supported by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1919 who referred to the family as Mungotidae 19 Genetic research based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA analyses revealed that the Galidiinae are more closely related to Madagascar carnivores including the fossa and Malagasy civet 20 21 Galidiinae is presently considered a subfamily of Eupleridae 22 Subfamily Genus Species Image of type speciesHerpestinae Herpestes Illiger 1811 23 Egyptian mongoose H ichneumon Linnaeus 1758 24 Common slender mongoose H sanguineus Ruppell 1835 25 Cape gray mongoose H pulverulentus Wagner 1839 26 Somalian slender mongoose H ochraceus Gray 1848 27 Angolan slender mongoose H flavescens Bocage 1889 28 nbsp Atilax Cuvier 1826 29 Marsh mongoose A paludinosus Cuvier 1829 30 nbsp Cynictis Ogilby 1833 31 Yellow mongoose C penicillata Cuvier 1829 30 nbsp Urva Hodgson 1836 32 Indian grey mongoose U edwardsii Geoffroy Saint Hilaire 1818 33 Javan mongoose U javanica Geoffroy Saint Hilaire 1818 33 Stripe necked mongoose U vitticolla Bennett 1835 34 Small Indian mongoose U auropunctata Hodgson 1836 32 Crab eating mongoose U urva Hodgson 1836 32 Ruddy mongoose U smithii Gray 1837 35 Short tailed mongoose U brachyura Gray 1837 35 Indian brown mongoose U fusca Waterhouse 1838 36 Collared mongoose U semitorquata Gray 1846 37 nbsp Ichneumia Geoffroy Saint Hilaire 1837 38 White tailed mongoose I albicauda Cuvier 1829 30 nbsp Bdeogale Peters 1850 39 Bushy tailed mongoose B crassicauda Peters 1852 40 Black footed mongoose B nigripes Pucheran 1855 41 Jackson s mongoose B jacksoni Thomas 1894 42 Sokoke dog mongoose B omnivora Heller 1914 43 44 nbsp Rhynchogale Thomas 1894 45 Meller s mongoose R melleri Gray 1865 18 nbsp Paracynictis Pocock 1916 Selous s mongoose P selousi de Winton 1896 nbsp Xenogale Allen 1919 46 Long nosed mongoose X naso de Winton 1901 47 nbsp Mungotinae Mungos E Geoffroy Saint Hilaire amp F Cuvier 1795 48 Banded mongoose M mungo Gmelin 1788 49 Gambian mongoose M gambianus Ogilby 1835 50 nbsp Suricata Desmarest 1804 51 Meerkat S suricatta Schreber 1776 52 nbsp Crossarchus Cuvier 1825 Common kusimanse C obscurus Cuvier 1825 Alexander s kusimanse C alexandri Thomas amp Wroughton 1907 Angolan kusimanse C ansorgei Thomas 1910 Flat headed kusimanse C platycephalus Goldman 1984 nbsp Helogale Gray 1861 Common dwarf mongoose H parvula Sundevall 1847 Ethiopian dwarf mongoose H hirtula Thomas 1904 nbsp Dologale Thomas 1920 Pousargues s mongoose D dybowskii Pousargues 1894 53 nbsp Liberiictis Hayman 1958 Liberian mongoose L kuhni Hayman 1958Phylogenetic relationships Phylogenetic research of 18 mongoose species revealed that the solitary and social mongooses form different clades 54 The phylogenetic relationships of Herpestidae are shown in the following cladogram 55 3 Herpestidae Herpestinae Bdeogale Bdeogale jacksoni Jackson s mongoose Bdeogale nigripes Black footed mongoose Bdeogale crassicauda Bushy tailed mongoose Rhynchogale Rhynchogale melleri Meller s mongoose nbsp Paracynictis Paracynictis selousi Selous s mongoose Cynictis Cynictis penicillata Yellow mongoose Ichneumia Ichneumia albicauda White tailed mongoose Herpestes Herpestes ichneumon Egyptian mongoose 3 Herpestes sanguinea Slender mongoose Herpestes pulverulenta Cape gray mongoose Herpestes ochracea Somalian slender mongoose Herpestes flavescens Angolan slender mongoose including black mongoose Atilax Atilax paludinosus Marsh mongoose Xenogale 3 Xenogale naso Long nosed mongoose Herpestes lemanensis Urva Urva brachyura Short tailed mongoose Urva semitorquata Collared mongoose Urva urva Crab eating mongoose Urva smithii Ruddy mongoose Urva vitticolla Stripe necked mongoose Urva fusca Indian brown mongoose Urva edwardsii Indian gray mongoose Urva javanica Small Asian mongoose nbsp Mungotinae Helogale Helogale parvula Common dwarf mongoose Helogale hirtula Ethiopian dwarf mongoose Dologale Dologale dybowskii Pousargues s mongoose Crossarchus Crossarchus alexandri Alexander s kusimanse Crossarchus ansorgei Angolan kusimanse Crossarchus platycephalus Flat headed kusimanse Crossarchus obscurus Common kusimanse nbsp Liberiictis Liberiictis kuhni Liberian mongoose Mungos Mungos gambianus Gambian mongoose Mungos mungo Banded mongoose nbsp Suricata Suricata suricatta Meerkat nbsp Extinct species Atilax Cuvier 1826 A mesotes Ewer 1956Herpestes Illiger 1811 H lemanensis Pomel 1853Leptoplesictis Major 1903 56 L atavus Beaumont 1973 L aurelianensis Schlosser 1888 L filholi Gaillard 1899 L mbitensis Schmidt Kittler 1987 L namibiensis Morales et al 2008 L peignei Grohe et al 2020 L rangwai Schmidt Kittler 1987 L senutae Morales et al 2008Behaviour and ecologyMongooses mostly feed on insects crabs earthworms lizards birds and rodents However they also eat eggs and carrion 57 Some species can learn simple tricks They can be tamed and are kept as pets to control vermin 58 Cultural significanceIn ancient Mesopotamia mongooses were sacred to the deity Ninkilim who was conflated with Ningirama a deity of magic who was invoked for protection against serpents According to a Babylonian popular saying when a mouse fled from a mongoose into a serpent s hole it announced I bring you greetings from the snake charmer A creature resembling a mongoose also appears in Old Babylonian glyptic art but its significance is not known 59 All mongoose species except for Suricata suricatta are classed as a prohibited new organism under New Zealand s Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 preventing them from being imported into the country 60 This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Mongoose news newspapers books scholar JSTOR October 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message A well known fictional mongoose is Rikki Tikki Tavi who appears in a short story of the same title in The Jungle Book 1894 by Rudyard Kipling In this tale set in India a young pet mongoose saves his human family from a krait and from Nag and Nagaina two cobras The story was later made into several films and a song by Donovan among other references A mongoose is also featured in Bram Stoker s novel The Lair of the White Worm The main character Adam Salton purchases one to independently hunt snakes Another mongoose features in the denouement of the Sherlock Holmes story The Adventure of the Crooked Man by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The Indian Tamil devotional film Padai Veetu Amman shows Tamil actor Vinu Chakravarthy changing himself into a mongoose by using his evil tantric mantra to fight the goddess Amman However the mongoose finally dies at the hands of the goddess Mongoose species are prohibited to be kept as pets in the United States 61 See alsoList of herpestidsReferences a b Wozencraft W C 2005 Family Herpestidae In Wilson D E Reeder D M eds Mammal Species of the World A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference 3rd ed Johns Hopkins University Press pp 562 571 ISBN 978 0 8018 8221 0 OCLC 62265494 Gilchrist J S Jennings A P Veron G amp Cavallini P 2009 Family Herpestidae Mongooses In Wilson D E amp Mittermeier R A eds Handbook of the Mammals of the World Vol 1 Carnivores Barcelona Lynx Edicions pp 262 328 ISBN 978 84 96553 49 1 a b c d Patou M Mclenachan P A Morley C G Couloux A Jennings A P Veron G 2009 Molecular phylogeny of the Herpestidae Mammalia Carnivora with a special emphasis on the Asian Herpestes Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 53 1 69 80 doi 10 1016 j ympev 2009 05 038 PMID 19520178 Valentini M B amp Major J D 1714 Viverra Indica grysea Mungos Museum museorum oder Vollstandige Schau Buhne aller Materialien und Specereyen Vol 2 Appendix IX Franckfurt am Mayn Johann David Zunners Sel Erben und Johann Adam Jungen p 24 Jerdon T C 1874 127 Herpestes griseus The mammals of India a natural history of all the animals known to inhabit continental India London J Wheldon pp 132 134 Sterndale R A 1884 Herpestidae The Ichneumon or Mungoose Family Natural history of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon Calcutta Thacker amp Spink pp 222 228 Lydekker R 1894 XIII The Mungooses Genus Herpestes A hand book to the Carnivora Part 1 Cats civets and mungooses London Edward Lloyd Limited pp 244 269 Platts J T 1884 منگوس म ग स muṅgus or म ग स maṅgus The Mongoose or ichneumon Viverra ichneumon A dictionary of Urdu classical Hindi and English London W H Allen amp Co p 1081 Molesworth J T 1857 म ग स muṅgusa Bengal Mungoose Viverra Ichneumon or Herpesteus Griseus A dictionary Marathi and English Second revised and enlarged ed Bombay Printed for Government at the Bombay Education Society s Press p 384 Archived from the original on 30 January 2021 Retrieved 5 April 2020 Brown C P 1903 మ గ or మ గ స mungi The ichneumon or mongoose a kind of weasel Viverra ichneumon A Telugu English dictionary New thoroughly revised and brought up to date second ed Madras Promoting Christian Knowledge p 997 Reeve W amp Sanderson D 1858 ಮ ಗ ಮ ಗ ಸ ಮ ಗ ಲ A dictionary Canarese and English Revised corrected and enlarged ed Bangalore Wesleyan Mission Press p 787 Forsyth M 2012 Folk etymology The Etymologicon A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language Penguin Books p 77 ISBN 978 1 101 61176 0 Hinton H E amp Dunn A M S 1967 Preface Mongooses Their Natural History and Behaviour Berkeley University of California Press p v OCLC 1975837 Macdonald D ed 2009 The Encyclopedia of Mammals Oxford Oxford University Press p 660 ISBN 978 0 19 956799 7 Barchan D Kachalsky S Neumann D Vogel Z Ovadia M Kochva E and Fuchs S 1992 How the mongoose can fight the snake the binding site of the mongoose acetylcholine receptor PDF Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 89 16 7717 7721 Bibcode 1992PNAS 89 7717B doi 10 1073 pnas 89 16 7717 PMC 49782 PMID 1380164 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Drabeck D H Dean A M Jansa S A 2015 Why the honey badger don t care Convergent evolution of venom targeted nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in mammals that survive venomous snake bites Toxicon 99 68 72 doi 10 1016 j toxicon 2015 03 007 PMID 25796346 Bonaparte C L 1845 Fam VII Viverridae Catalogo Methodico dei Mammiferi Europei Milan Italy L di Giacomo Pirola p 8 a b Gray J E 1865 A revision of the genera and species of viverrine animals Viverridae founded on the collection in the British Museum Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 502 579 Pocock R I 1919 The classification of mongooses Mungotidae The Annals and Magazine of Natural History 9 3 515 524 doi 10 1080 00222931908673851 Yoder A D Burns M M Zehr S Delefosse T Veron G Goodman S M Flynn J J 2003 Single origin of Malagasy carnivora from an African ancestor Nature 421 6924 434 437 Bibcode 2003Natur 421 734Y doi 10 1038 nature01303 PMID 12610623 S2CID 4404379 Flynn J J Finarelli J Zehr S Hsu J Nedbal M 2005 Molecular phylogeny of the Carnivora Mammalia Assessing the Impact of Increased sampling on resolving enigmatic relationships Systematic Biology 54 2 317 337 doi 10 1080 10635150590923326 PMID 16012099 Wilson D E Reeder D M eds 2005 Mammal Species of the World A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference 3rd ed Johns Hopkins University Press ISBN 978 0 8018 8221 0 OCLC 62265494 Illiger C 1815 Uberblick der Saugethiere nach ihrer Verteilung uber die Welttheile Abhandlungen der Koniglichen Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin 1804 1811 39 159 Archived from the original on 4 April 2019 Retrieved 28 December 2019 Linnaeus C 1758 Viverra ichneumon Caroli Linnaei Systema naturae per regna tria naturae secundum classes ordines genera species cum characteribus differentiis synonymis locis Vol Tomus I Decima reformata ed Holmiae Laurentius Salvius p 41 in Latin Ruppell E 1835 Herpestes sanguineus Ruppell Neue Wirbelthiere zu der Fauna von Abyssinien gehorig Frankfurt am Main S Schmerber pp 27 28 Wagner J A 1839 Uber die Verwandtschafts Verhaltnisse der Pharaonsratte Gelehrte Anzeigen der Koniglich Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Munchen 9 183 425 429 Gray J E 1848 Description of a new species of Herpestes from Abyssinia Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London November 138 139 Bocage J V B 1889 Mammifere d Angola et du Congo Jornal de Sciencias mathematicas physicas e naturaes 2 1 174 185 Cuvier F G 1826 Vansire In E Geoffroy Saint Hilaire Cuvier F G eds Histoire Naturelle des Mammiferes avec des figures originales coloriees dessinees d apresdes animaux vivans Tome 5 Paris A Belin p LIV a b c Cuvier G 1829 Les Mangoustes Cuv Herpestes Illiger Le regne animal distribue d apres son organisation pour servir de base a l histoire naturelle des animaux et d introduction a l anatomie comparee Paris Chez Deterville pp 157 158 Ogilby W 1833 Characters of a new Genus of carnivorous Mammalia from the collection of Mr Steedman Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London Part 1 48 49 a b c Hodgson B H 1836 Synoptical description of sundry new animals enumerated in the Catalogue of Nepalese Mammals Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 5 231 238 a b Geoffroy Saint Hilaire E 1817 De l Ichneumon Ichneumon pharaon In Jomard E F ed Description de l Egypte ou Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont ete faites en Egypte pendant l expedition de l armee francaise Vol Tome II Paris Commission des Sciences et Arts d Egypte pp 137 144 Bennett E T 1835 Remarks on some Mammalia from Travancore including a New Species of Herpestes Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London III 66 67 a b Gray J E 1837 Description of some or little known Mammalia principally in the British Mueum Collection The Magazine of Natural History and Journal of Zoology Botany Mineralogy Geology and Meteorology I November 577 587 Waterhouse G R 1838 On two new species of Mammalia from the Society s collection belonging to the genera Gerbillus and Herpestes Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London VI 55 56 Gray J E 1846 New species of Mammalia The Annals and Magazine of Natural History Zoology Botany and Geology 18 118 211 212 Geoffroy Saint Hilaire I 1837 Notices sur deux nouveaux genres de Mammiferes carnassiers les Ichneumies du continent Africain et les Galidies de Madagascar Annales des Sciences Naturelles 2 8 249 252 Peters W 1850 Bdeogale Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin 94 Peters W 1852 Mittheilung uber die in Mossambique beobachteten Mangusten Verhandlungen der Koniglich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin 81 82 Pucheran J P 1855 Les Mammiferes de la cote occidental d Afrique Revue et magasin de zoologie pure et appliquee 2 7 111 Thomas O 1894 On a new African Genus of Mustelidae The Annals and Magazine of Natural History Zoology Botany and Geology 6 13 78 522 524 Heller E 1914 New antelopes and carnivores from British East Africa Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 61 2240 1 15 Foley C amp Do Linh San E 2016 Bdeogale omnivora IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016 e T136686A45221619 Thomas O 1894 On the mammals of Nyasaland third contribution Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London February 136 146 Allen J A 1919 Preliminary notes on African Carnivora Journal of Mammalogy 1 1 23 31 doi 10 2307 1373716 JSTOR 1373716 de Winton W E 1901 Description of a New Mongoose from West Africa Bulletin of the Liverpool Museums Under the City Council 3 2 35 37 Geoffroy E amp Cuvier F 1795 Memoire sur une nouvelle division des Mammiferes et sur Ies principes qui doivent servir de base dans cette sorte de travail lu a la societe d Histoire naturelle le premier floreal de l an troisieme In Millin Noel amp Warens eds Magasin Encyclopedique ou journal des sciences des lettres et des arts Vol Tome second Paris I lmprimerie du Magazin Encyclopedique pp 164 189 Gmelin J F 1788 Viverra mungo Caroli a Linne Systema naturae per regna tria naturae secundum classes ordines genera species cum characteribus differentiis synonymis locis Vol I 13th aucta reformata ed Lipsiae Georg Emanuel Beer pp 84 85 Ogilby W 1835 Descriptions of Mammalia and Birds from the Gambia Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London Part III 97 105 Desmarest A G 1804 Genre Surikate Suricata Nob In Deterville J F P ed Nouveau dictionnaire d histoire naturelle appliquee aux arts principalement a l agriculture et a l economie rurale et domestique Vol 24 Paris Deterville p 15 Schreber J C D 1776 Viverra suricata Die Saugethiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen Erlangen Expedition des Schreber schen Saugthier und des Esper schen Schmetterlingswerkes p CVII de Pousargues E 1894 Description d une nouvelle espece de mammifere du genre Crossarchus et considerations sur la repartition geographique des crossarques rayes Nouvelles Archives du Museum d Histoire Naturelle 3 in French 6 121 134 Veron G Colyn M Dunham A E Taylor P Gaubert P 2004 Molecular systematics and origin of sociality in mongooses Herpestidae Carnivora Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 30 3 582 598 doi 10 1016 S1055 7903 03 00229 X PMID 15012940 Barycka E 2005 Evolution and systematics of the feliform Carnivora Mammalian Biology 72 5 257 282 doi 10 1016 j mambio 2006 10 011 Morales J Pickford M Salesa M J 2008 Creodonta and Carnivora from the Early Miocene of the Northern Sperrgebiet Namibia Memoir of the Geological Survey of Namibia 20 291 310 Cronk N E Pillay N 2018 Food choice and feeding on carrion in two African mongoose species in an urban environment Acta Ethologica 21 2 127 136 doi 10 1007 s10211 018 0291 x S2CID 21688548 Sherman D M 2007 Tending Animals in the Global Village A Guide to International Veterinary Medicine John Wiley amp Sons ISBN 978 0 470 29210 5 Black J Green A 1992 Gods Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia An Illustrated Dictionary The British Museum Press p 132 ISBN 0 7141 1705 6 Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 2003 Schedule 2 Prohibited new organisms New Zealand Government Retrieved 26 January 2012 Krueger A 2010 Remembering Duluth s famous mongoose Mr Magoo Duluth News Tribune Archived from the original on 1 February 2014 Further readingRasa A 1986 Mongoose Watch A Family Observed Garden City N Y Anchor Press Doubleday amp Co ISBN 978 0 385 23175 6 OCLC 12664019 Lodrick D O 1982 Man and Mongoose in Indian Culture Anthropos 77 1 2 191 214 JSTOR 40460438 External links nbsp Wikispecies has information related to Herpestidae nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Herpestidae Ichneumon Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th ed 1911 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mongoose amp oldid 1177267686, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.