Mongoose

Makayla Yu ('30) Dec. 6, 2023

Hi, my name is Makayla. Today I want to introduce the Mongoose. I chose to write about the Mongoose because the Mongoose is one of my favorite animals.

Mongooses are mammals that look like weasels. They live in trees and water but most species live in Africa. They are mostly found in forests, woodlands and dry places with little rain. They mostly have brown fur but some have stripes on their tails. A mongoose can live up to 10 years in the wild and about 17 years in human care. In the wild, small mongooses have 50 percent of surviving for 3 months on their own. A mongoose is about 58 cm tall and it may go to 5 kilograms in weight.

Mongooses have many important body parts. For example, their claws are used to dig for snakes, which is their favorite food besides reptiles, rats, little animals, and birds. They also have really fast legs that can dodge snake attacks easily. One special part of a Mongoose is that it is one of the only Mammals that can be immune to snake venom. Scientists said when a Mongoose fights a snake, it wins 80 percent of the time. A mongoose kills by cracking the skull of the snake quickly. Besides having strong body parts for physical defense against snakes, Mongoose have 2 ways to respond to threats. One method is to go down a burrow when it is alone ;Another way is to call for back-up and attack as a pack.

I hope when you go to the zoo, you could pay special attention to these cool and cute creatures and not mistake them for weasels.