The Stripe-necked Mongoose is the biggest mongoose found in Asia. Confined to India and Sri Lanka, it can be sighted in well-wooded habitats, particularly in dry and moist deciduous forests where it prefers streams and rivers.

Stripe-necked Mongooses have short limbs, with long fore-claws and the colour of their fur can be dark brown, gray-yellow, or orange-yellow. The male weighs around 3 kg and the females weigh much less. This large mongoose is identified in the field by its tail which is three fourths of its body length and has a black tip which is pointed upwards. The prominent brownish black stripe running from its ear to shoulder gives it its name.

A Striped-necked Mongoose

A litter of the Stripe-necked Mongoose ranges from 2 to 3, and the newborns hunt with their parent until they are independent. This mongoose is frequently sighted during the day at the open sea, and more often than not, is a solitary species. Its diet consists mainly of crabs, birds, small mammals (such as the Mouse Deer), fish, frogs, grubs, insects and certain kinds of roots. It prefers to stay inside a forest, and near waterbodies.

This species is threatened on a local scale by hunting and trade. It is hunted for its meat that is eaten by several tribes and for its hair that is used for making shaving brushes, paint brushes, and good luck charms.

An Interesting Fact: the Stripe-necked Mongoose can also prey on something larger than itself, like for example, the Indian Hare. It’s found in abundance at Kabini and is often spotted during Jeep Safaris.

The Large Mongoose

Rajan Kanagasabai

An ardent Environmentalist and an avid wildlife Photographer, Rajan is a prominent member of leading Environmental, Wildlife and Photography organizations. His works have been featured on several travel magazines. A frequent visitor to Orange County, Kabini and Coorg, Rajan specializes in Wildlife and Bird Photography. Possessing over 23 years of experience working in the IT Industry, Rajan holds a senior management position at one of India's top IT companies. Rajan has reviewed a number of global resorts for several leading travel journals and blogs and is also a Destination Expert for the renowned Trip Advisor travel forum.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 7th, 2011 at 4:44 pm and is filed under Carnivore, Mammal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.