Indian gray mongoose
Indian mongoose ( Herpestes edwardsii )
The Indian mongoose ( Herpestes edwardsii ) is a species of prey from the mongoose family ( Herpestidae ). If it is, generally speaking, the " mongoose " is either of this type or the Little Mungo 's speech.
Features
Indian mongooses have a head-body length of 36-45 inches, added 35 inch cock. Your weight varies from 0.9 to 1.7 kilograms. Your body is elongated and slender, the limbs are relatively short. Her coat is silver gray, the legs look a little darker. The tail is dark red, and the head has a slight reddish tint.
Distribution and habitat
The natural range of the Indian mongoose extends from the east of the Arabian Peninsula on Afghanistan and Pakistan to the Indian subcontinent. As habitat they prefer bush -lined grasslands, but they are not very picky in terms of their habitat.
For reasons of pest they were introduced in many regions, including on the Malay Peninsula, Mauritius, Reunion, the Japanese Ryukyu Islands, in the central Italy and Jamaica.
Way of life
Indian mongooses are diurnal animals who live normally as a loner, but sometimes stay together as a loose family associations. On the day they leave their caves and search for food. This consists of a wide variety of vertebrates, such as small mammals, birds, lizards and snakes, but also from insects, scorpions and other invertebrates and fruit. Because mongooses can move quickly, they also attack poisonous snakes whose attacks then dodge responsive. However, the mongooses are not immune to snake venom. Let the snake always happen back out every time, and eventually the snake is so tired that they can kill easily. If a mongoose bitten in such a struggle but once, does not penetrate the Cobra with its short fangs often be dense, bushy fur.
Two or three times a year the female gives birth after approximately 60 - to 65 -day gestation period of two to four pups. They are weaned at four to five weeks.
Indian mongooses and humans
The Indian mongoose is common and not one of the endangered species. The World Conservation Union IUCN leads him in the Red List of Threatened Species as not at risk ( "Least Concern" ).
He was kidnapped by the people in many regions of the world in which he originally did not occur. It has thus hopes to control rats plagues. However, this measure led to much more serious problems, as the mongoose native wildlife of the new areas at risk or even exterminated, breaking into chicken coops and sought food in humans and rabies and other diseases transferred. By exterminating insect eating small animals and insect pests increased in devastating proportions.
There is often no distinction between the two types of mongoose to cultural references see mongoose.
Alfred Brehm reported that the mongoose is also kept as a pet in India. You find him in many homes of his native country as a pet. His services which man happy in claim take (protection against snakes, keeping the house free of rats, etc. ) he would get in return for him have placed hospitality. Next Brehm writes the following: "With the people he befriended soon he followed his Lord after a short time, eating out of his hand and lives as a pet.. " This relationship between humans and mongooses was " The Jungle Book " in the short story " Rikki -tikki - tawi " processed by Rudyard Kipling, in his most famous work literary. Negative connotations immersed in the mongoose Aravind Adiga 's novel " The White Tiger " on. There, the imperious, deceitful son of a landowner receives this nickname: " Mukesh Sir was small, dark, ugly, and very cunning. At home in the village we would have called him " the Mongoose ". "