Dwarf mongoose

Dwarf mongooses reach a length of 18 to 26 cm, not counting the tail, whose length is from 12 to 20 cm. Their weight varies between 230 and 260 g. The coat is colored differently, mainly it is gray or brown, and there are completely black individuals . In some animals, the neck and chest are more reddish, and the legs and tail are slightly darker than the rest of the coat.

The eastern dwarf mongoose inhabits a relatively small range in Ethiopia , Somalia and northern Kenya , and its southern relative is distributed from Ethiopia to Angola , as well as throughout East Africa . In addition to savannahs, they are found in sparse forests and semi-deserts , as well as in mountains at an altitude of up to 1800 m.

Dwarf mongooses are active in the daytime and are very social animals living in groups of four to fifteen individuals. The group is usually led by a dominant female. The descendants of the dominant couple help in raising other offspring. A group usually breaks up only when the dominant female dies.

The food of dwarf mongooses consists almost exclusively of insects . In addition to them, snails are sometimes eaten. In order to break the shell in which the snail is hiding, the mongoose takes it in its hind legs and throws it against the stone.

Two or three times a year, the female gives birth after 50 days of pregnancy from one to seven (an average of four) cubs. For at least 45 days they are fed with milk , but at the same time they begin to be supplied with other members of the group with solid food. Only at the age of three they become adults, and their average life expectancy is up to twelve years.

• Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0-8018-5789-9