Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure

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Fast Facts:

The long coat of the yellow mongoose is yellowish orange with the hindquarters being brighter. The bushy tail is the same color as the back but has a distinctive white tuft on the end.
One of the smaller mongoose species

Yellow Mongoose

Scientific Name:	Cynictis penicillata
Classification:	Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Herpistidae
Status:	Not listed
Range:	South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe
Habitat:	Rolling plains
Diet:	Insects and small vertebrate
Size:	Length: 11-15 inches and the tail a little shorter Weight: 3-4 pounds
Lifespan:	12 yrs.
Location:

Special Features:

Five fingers on each forepaw and 4 toes on each foot.
Claws are non-retractable
Its burrow system is very complicated, and designed so that the entire colony is connected underground. They sometimes share these burrows with ground squirrels and suricates.

Social Structure & Behavior:

Diurnal, active during the day. Live in large groups of up to 50 but will hunt alone or in pairs. The alpha male of the colony will mark each member of its group daily with excretions from its anal glands. Their tail is used to communicate mood and dominance.

Reproduction:
Sexual maturity is 10 months. Gestation is 8 weeks resulting in the birth of two to four young per litter. Weaned at 10 weeks.