Meenakshi Mallik
Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes javanicus)
This photograph was taken at Delhi Cantt, Delhi.
The small Indian mongoose has short, dense fur that ranges in color from a pale greyish-tan to brown with golden ticking, and the undersides being paler. Their bushy tail can be 2/3 to one times the length of the body. They are one of the smaller of the mongoose species. Males tend to be slightly larger than the females. They have five digits on each hand/foot, and the palms are devoid of hair.
The diet of this mongoose is varied. They feed on insects, spiders, snails, slugs, frogs, lizards, snakes, birds, eggs of birds and reptiles, rodents, crabs, fish and fruits. They have even been known to catch animals many times their size, like rabbits. it is the Javan mongoose that is made famous for killing many snakes, especially the venomous cobra.
Mongooses are not immune to snake venom; rather they strike so quickly as to avoid being bitten by the snake. In order to kill the snake, they attack it with repeated quick bites until it is able to get a favorable lock right behind the head. Then it grasps the snake with its forepaws and rolls over the snake, putting a hindleg on either side of the snake, and rolls on its side.
Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes javanicus)
This photograph was taken at Delhi Cantt, Delhi.
The small Indian mongoose has short, dense fur that ranges in color from a pale greyish-tan to brown with golden ticking, and the undersides being paler. Their bushy tail can be 2/3 to one times the length of the body. They are one of the smaller of the mongoose species. Males tend to be slightly larger than the females. They have five digits on each hand/foot, and the palms are devoid of hair.
The diet of this mongoose is varied. They feed on insects, spiders, snails, slugs, frogs, lizards, snakes, birds, eggs of birds and reptiles, rodents, crabs, fish and fruits. They have even been known to catch animals many times their size, like rabbits. it is the Javan mongoose that is made famous for killing many snakes, especially the venomous cobra.
Mongooses are not immune to snake venom; rather they strike so quickly as to avoid being bitten by the snake. In order to kill the snake, they attack it with repeated quick bites until it is able to get a favorable lock right behind the head. Then it grasps the snake with its forepaws and rolls over the snake, putting a hindleg on either side of the snake, and rolls on its side.