Long, coarse, black guard hairs protrude from a yellowish or whitish close, woolly underfur, producing a grayish general body color. The four extremities, from the elbows and knees, are black. The basal half of the tail is of the general body color. The terminal portion is usually white but occasionally black.
Females have four mammae.
The white-tailed mongoose is found mainly in savannahs and grassland. It prefers areas of thick cover, such as forest edge and bush-fringed streams. It is basically terrestrial and nocturnal, sheltering by day in porcupine or aardvark burrows, termite mounds, or cavities under roots or rocks. The diet consists mainly of insects and also includes snakes, other small vertebrates, and fruit. Ichneumia breaks eggs by hurling them back between its hind legs and against some hard object.