Carnivores: Aardwolf African Wild Cat African Wild Dog Banded Mongoose Bat Eared Fox Black-backed Jackal Brown Hyena Cape Clawless Otter Cape Fox Caracal Cheetah Civet Dhole Large Spotted Genet Golden Jackal Honey badger Jaguar Leopard African Lion Asiatic Lion Sand Cat Serval Side Striped Jackal Snow Leopard Spotted Hyena Striped Hyena Suricate (Meercat) Tiger White Tailed Mongoose Yellow Mongoose
The Banded Mongoose is around 50-65 cm in length with a slender tapered tail of 18-25cm length. They stand 18-20cm high at the shoulder. Their coat is dark brown to brownish grey in colour and it has prominent dark bands across its back.
Banded Mongooses are highly sociable and live in large troops - typically between 5 and 30 individuals, but much larger troops have been recorded. When foraging for food they use vocal calls to maintain contact with each other. The banded mongoose normally remains on the ground but they are good climbers and are also able to swim to avoid danger. Troops have a home range that can be between 80 hectares and 4 square kilometres, with the size being largely dependant on the availability of food, and the size of the troop. Home ranges are marked by all troop members using scent marks from anal gland secretions.
Banded Mongoose dens are usually disused burrows left by other animals such as antbears or spring hares. Dens are not permanently occupied but are occupied for a few days before the troop moves on to another den within their home range.
Banded Mongoose eat insects and other invertebrates, birds and their eggs, reptiles, small rodents, carrion, and snakes. When the prey has poisonous spines (e.g. caterpillar) or noxious skin secretions (e.g. toads), then the banded mongoose rolls it in the dirt after killing it until the spines or skin secretion has been rubbed off.
The Banded Mongoose has a gestation period of around 60 days after which they give birth to between 2 and 6 young in the den. The young can suckle from any female in the pack that is lactating, not just their mother.
The Banded Mongoose is found in savannah and open woodland areas. Banded Mongoose can be found in North Eastern parts of South Africa, Northern parts of Namibia and Botswana as well as Mozambique and parts of Angola, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda.
© Predator Conservation Trust.
