Yellow mongoose
Cynictis penicillata
There are several subspecies of yellow mongoose. The southern ones are yellowish, and the northern ones tend to be grey. They are preyed on by snakes, jackals and birds of prey. They are normally very quiet, communicating by movements of the tail. When fighting, however, they will often scream. They can also purr and bark and, when frightened, they can growl. They have an anal gland that can secrete a cheesy-smelling milky fluid. This is used to deter predators. A yellow mongoose can be 500 millimetres long and weigh 500 grams.
In 2017, we become home to a brother and sister pair of yellow mongoose. The pair arrived from Bristol Zoo and are called Rikki-Tikki and Tavi.
IUCN red list status
The IUCN status of the yellow mongoose is least concern.
For more info on classifications visit www.iucnredlist.org
Animal class
Mammal
Conservation status
The IUCN considers that the yellow mongoose is not yet facing a risk of extinction in the wild.
Habitat
Grasslands
Population
The yellow mongoose is still quite common and populations are stable.
Diet
Carnivorous. They eat mostly invertebrates, but will eat lizards, snakes and eggs.