The White-tailed Mongoose is the largest of the mongoose family. They can weigh between 2.5 – 4kg. The body is light brown to grey and the legs are black. So the white of the tail really does stand out and gives the animal its name.
These mongooses are nocturnal (active at night) and will sleep in hollows or abandoned termite mounds. Unlike the dwarf mongoose, they do not have a den site and they do not live in groups. Although females sometimes will live with other females, they do not associate with each other. Both sexes are territorial, but male and female territories will overlap. They will also secrete a foul smelling substance from an anal gland which is mostly used to mark territories. As most other mongoose species will stand on their hind legs for prolonged periods of time and look very curious, the White-tailed mongoose does not do the same.
The youngsters are born after about 60 days after mating and will stay with the mother for the next nine months. After that nine months the have been weaned and will disperse to find new territories. They only become sexually mature at about 2 years of age
Story by Jacques (River Lodge)