Mammals of the WorldIndian Gray Mongoose
Urva edwardsii
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Herpestidae
- Genus
- Urva
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- Bahrain|Saudi Arabia|Kuwait|Iraq|Iran|Afghanistan|Pakistan|India|Nepal|Bhutan|Bangladesh|Sri Lanka
- Realm
- Indomalaya|Palearctic
About this species
- Size
- Head and body 36–45cm; tail about 45cm
- Weight
- 0.9–1.7kg
- Diet
- Rodents, snakes, birds' eggs and hatchlings, lizards and invertebrates
- Litter size
- 2–4 young
- Gestation
- 60–65 days
The Indian grey mongoose has tawny grey or iron-grey fur that is more grizzled, stiffer and coarser than in other mongooses, and a bushy tail with a pale yellow or white tip. Adults are 36–45 cm long in head and body with a tail of about the same length, and weigh 0.9–1.7 kg. It is one of the few mammals able to tell four colours apart, more than most other mammals can. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and West Asia (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is a common animal in India, though its natural history is not well known. Prey includes rodents, snakes, birds' eggs and hatchlings, lizards and a range of invertebrates, and along the Chambal River it sometimes eats gharial eggs. It opens eggs by holding them between the paws and biting a hole in the small end. Gestation lasts 60–65 days and litters are two to four young (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)