Egyptian Mongoose (
Herpestes ichneumon)
The Egyptian mongoose is diurnal, gregarious, and polygynous. The name "ichneumon" means tracker on Greek, which refers to the fact that this mongoose relies on its sense of smell to locate prey. They tend to forage alone, and this led many people to believe that they were solitary mongooses. They are commonly seen in groups of 3-7 individuals. Each family consists of a male, 2-3 females, and their recent offspring, along with some offspring from previous litters that had not dispersed. They have established foraging paths, latrines, eating and sleeping sites, and anal-gland marking areas. The male tends to be more or less solitary, but the females have strong social bonds with each other and their young. The females take turns babysitting the juveniles as the other females went foraging. The male does babysit but rarely interacts with the young. The male is more tolerant of his female offspring than the males, and it is often the males that disperse first, and the females who disperse later, if at all.
The Egyptian mongoose produces only one litter a year, but is able to produce another if they loose the first litter. The young are weaned at 4-8 weeks old, and forage with their mother until they are 4 months old. Male offspring will disperse as early as 4-6 months, sometimes staying up to a year, while the female offspring will stay longer, even permanently.
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