Egyptian Mongoose

The Egyptian mongoose is diurnal and lives in small groups of 1–7 animals, usually consisting of a male, several females, and their young. Male offspring usually leave the group before they are a year old; females stay longer, and may not leave at all.

Most wild mongooses live for 12 years. The longest lived captive mongoose was over 20 years old.

In some rural areas of Egypt, such as upper Egypt, it is bred as a household pet.

It prefers to live in forests, savanna, or scrub, but never far from water.

Its diet consists mainly of meat, including rodents, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects.

After a gestation period of 11 weeks, the female gives birth to 2–4 young.