A Common Slender Mongoose...paused at the entrance to its burrow in an abandoned termite mound
Photographed in South Africa, Africa - Safari vehicle, no cover
=>Please click on the image to view at the largest size<=
This species of mongoose is so appealing, IMO. They're tiny little (mostly) carnivores that have to be intimidating to potential prey...but I find them very interesting and fun to photograph.
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From Wikipedia: The common slender mongoose (Herpestes sanguineus), also known as the black-tipped mongoose or the black-tailed mongoose, is a very common mongoose species native to sub-Saharan Africa.
Feeding:
The common slender mongoose is primarily carnivorous, though it is an opportunistic omnivore. Insects make up the bulk of its diet, but lizards, rodents, snakes, birds, amphibians, and the occasional fruit are eaten when available. It will also eat carrion and eggs. As befits the popular image of mongooses, the slender mongoose is capable of killing and subsequently eating venomous snakes, but such snakes do not constitute a significant portion of its diet.
Common slender mongooses are more adept at climbing trees than other mongooses, often hunting birds there. White browed-sparrow weavers, crimson breasted shrikes, and glossy starlings are considered common prey.
Diet often changes during seasons where certain sources of food become less available. Insects are more likely to be consumed in during wet-months whereas larger prey is consumed during dry-months. This adaptability aids the slender common mongoose's ability to survive when changes in habitat occur.
AfrSA-0I7A6841-Flkr
A Common Slender Mongoose...paused at the entrance to its burrow in an abandoned termite mound
Photographed in South Africa, Africa - Safari vehicle, no cover
=>Please click on the image to view at the largest size<=
This species of mongoose is so appealing, IMO. They're tiny little (mostly) carnivores that have to be intimidating to potential prey...but I find them very interesting and fun to photograph.
=======================
From Wikipedia: The common slender mongoose (Herpestes sanguineus), also known as the black-tipped mongoose or the black-tailed mongoose, is a very common mongoose species native to sub-Saharan Africa.
Feeding:
The common slender mongoose is primarily carnivorous, though it is an opportunistic omnivore. Insects make up the bulk of its diet, but lizards, rodents, snakes, birds, amphibians, and the occasional fruit are eaten when available. It will also eat carrion and eggs. As befits the popular image of mongooses, the slender mongoose is capable of killing and subsequently eating venomous snakes, but such snakes do not constitute a significant portion of its diet.
Common slender mongooses are more adept at climbing trees than other mongooses, often hunting birds there. White browed-sparrow weavers, crimson breasted shrikes, and glossy starlings are considered common prey.
Diet often changes during seasons where certain sources of food become less available. Insects are more likely to be consumed in during wet-months whereas larger prey is consumed during dry-months. This adaptability aids the slender common mongoose's ability to survive when changes in habitat occur.
AfrSA-0I7A6841-Flkr