Common name : Mungus, Mungisa
Family : Herpestidae
Native to : Southern Asia, Africa, and Southern Europe
Interesting fact : They are immune to a snake’s venom and are used to control population of vermin as well.
Conservation status : Threatened
There are 33 species of mongooses, ranging from 24 to 58 cm in length, excluding the tail. Rudyard Kipling immortalised the creature in his book ‘Kim’, with the character of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. The mongoose is known to produce a sound like giggling. Almost every pregnant female will deliver babies on the same day, to avoid infanticide.
