page_title: Mongoose
section_title: Behaviour and ecology
hierarchical_section_title: Mongoose / Behaviour and ecology
caption_attribution_description: English: Indian Grey Mongoose. Photographed at Nagerhole, karnataka Latina: Herpestes edwardsii
context_page_description: A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family is currently split into two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to southern Europe, Africa and Asia, whereas the Mungotinae comprises 11 species native to Africa.
  The Herpestidae originated about 21.8 ± 3.6 million years ago in the Early Miocene and genetically diverged into two main genetic lineages between 19.1 and 18.5 ± 3.5 million years ago.
context_section_description: Mongooses are largely terrestrial. The Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) has been observed in pairs and groups of up to five individuals.
caption: Indian gray mongoose, Herpestes edwardsii
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "An opportunistic hunter, \nthe grey mongoose eats \na variety of food from \nfruits to small mammals, \nbirds, and invertebrates.", "Image Make": "NIKON CORPORATION", "Image Model": "NIKON D70", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS2 Macintosh", "Image DateTime": "2009:02:21 10:31:15", "Image Copyright": "Kalyan Varma", "Image ExifOffset": "368", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/160", "EXIF FNumber": "9/2", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2006:03:25 13:59:33", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2006:03:25 13:59:33", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "915241/125000", "EXIF ApertureValue": "86797/20000", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "-2/3", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "3", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Shade", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire", "EXIF FocalLength": "200", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Manual", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "300", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF GainControl": "None", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "0"}