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Yellow mongoose, or Red meerkat (Cynictis penicillata)
Phylum —chordata
Class — mammalia
Order — carnivora
Family — herpestidae
Genus – cynictis
Appearance
Yellow mongoose are small mammals and they have a body length between 23 and 33 cm (9-13 inches), a tail length between 18 and 25 cm (7-10 inches) and they weigh between 450 and 800 g (16-29 oz). Their coat is colored yellowish/tawny/grey with their underside, chin and limbs being lighter in color.
Habitat
This species occurs throughout southern Africa in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Behavior
Yellow mongooses are primarily diurnal and spend most of their day foraging, though sometimes they are active at night. They rest or sunbathe outside their dens before going off to feed and travel. Living in permanent burrows, they often share them with meerkats and ground squirrels, although they can make very complex burrows. Yellow mongooses are a social species and the colonies they live in are usually focused on a family group of a male and female with their youngest offspring, along with subadults, very old adults, and other individuals that have an association with the group. The home ranges of males often overlap and are bigger than those of the females. They are quiet animals, though they will scream during fights, growl when threatened, bark, and purr. The tail may be a means of communication.
Diet
Yellow mongooses are carnivorous, they mainly eat insects including, ants, termites, locusts and beetles. They also eat birds, frogs, lizards, eggs and small rodents, as well as fruits, nuts and seeds.
Reproduction
Yellow mongooses are polygynous, which means that one male mates with multiple females. The breeding season in the wild is usually from July until late September, so most births occur from October to November. Gestation varies from 42 to 57 days. Females can have as many as 5 offspring but 2-3 are common. Young are born inside a chamber underground in the burrow, and are weaned by about 10 weeks old. It is unknown whether males participate in feeding and caring for the young. These animals are fully grown at 10 months old and can breed from 12 months old.
In captivity
These animals can live up to 15 years.
A cage for one mongoose must be at least 90×50×70 in size. The animal gets along well with a person, so the cage door can not be closed, thereby giving the mongoose the opportunity to move freely around the apartment. And don't be surprised if he chooses your bed as a place to rest. In captivity, mongooses are neat and clean animals, and it is easy enough to train them to use a toilet.
Mongooses are quite affectionate both within the pack and in relation to humans. The mongoose is a very sociable animal, it constantly chirps something, but not at all loudly, and this chirping is quite pleasant to the ear. This way, they can complain or be happy, encourage you to participate in the game – in general, report what is happening to them. It is even able to respond to a nickname and distinguish its own from others. Also, mongooses perfectly find a common language with other pets.
The menu of mongooses is very diverse. Up to 80% of the diet consists of insects. Reptiles, small rodents, birds and bird eggs, wild fruits, tubers and roots – this fussy animal will eat everything that is suitable for food. Manual mongoose should be fed by combining plant and protein foods. It is not necessary to offer the animalmarinated, smoked or fried food.
Of course, keeping a mongoose at home has its pros and cons. This fearless, but accommodating animal will conquer with its affection and curiosity, intelligence and cheerful character, but if there is something to dig up in your house – the mongoose will dig it up. Since the appearance of this animal in the house, you can forget about cockroaches and rodents. If you surround the mongoose with care and attention, it will adore you and everyone it shares a home with.
