Mongooses are active, bold predators. They live in burrows and feed on small mammals, birds, reptiles, eggs, and occasionally fruit. They are known for attacking and killing even the largest and most poisonous snakes by an agile avoidance of their strikes. They kill the snakes by darting at the head of the snake and cracking the skull with a powerful bite. Contrary to popular belief, they are not immune to the snakes' poison but do have a high threshhold to it.
Litters contain two to four young.
Mongooses are forbidden importation into the U.S. because they also destroy many useful animals. The results were disastrous, because the mongooses severely damaged the populations of the native fauna. Because of the potential destructiveness of the animals, importation of mongooses of any species into the United States is strictly regulated. Known primarily as opportunistic feeders, the Indian mongoose is known to feed on such items as eggs, insects, other smaller invertebrates, small vertebrate animals and fruits. Although many stories tell of the immunity of the mongoose against the venom of the cobra, in truth, the mongoose is not immune but instead only has a resistance to the venom, being able to withstand several cobra bites before succumbing to the effects of the venom.