|
|
|
|
Mongooses
Herpestidae
INDEX
WHAT ARE MONGOOSES?
MONGOOSE FEATURES
GREAT BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OR ECOLOGICAL DISASTER?
MONGOOSES OF ARDASTRA GARDENS
WHAT ARE MONGOOSES?
Mongooses are small carnivorous mammals that make up the family known as the Herpestidae. This family is mostly found in Africa but they can also be found in Southern Asia, the East Indies and Madagascar. One genus occurs in Spain and Portugal and was most likely introduced there by people in ancient times. Today, mongooses have been introduced to many parts of the world as a means of pest control. There are approximately 18 genera and 37 different species of mongooses, including the meerkats. The Herpestidae family is divided into 2 sub-families:
- Malagasy mongooses – Galidiinae – 5 species, endemic (only found) to Madagascar.
- Other mongooses – Herpestinae – 32 species.
Mongooses are predators, feeding on a variety of small mammals, birds, reptiles (especially snakes), insects, crabs, bird eggs and some semi-aquatic species feed on fish. However, some do also incorporate plant material into their diet, feeding on fruits and tubers. They are mostly terrestrial (ground dwelling), making complex tunnel systems underground. They can be found in a range of habitats from desert to forest, though most prefer open areas. Their ability to kill snakes, even venemous ones, is legendary. Mongooses are not immune to the venom of snakes but rely on their natural speed and agility to literally “out-maneuver” the snakes.
The mongooses are quite gregarious (living in groups). Most species live in small groups of about 10 individuals but some live in colonies of up to 50. There are a few species that are solitary (live alone) and come together only for mating. However, this is not common amongst the family.
MONGOOSE FEATURES
Creatures of the earth
Mongooses are mostly adapted to tunneling in the ground. The family as a whole tends to have long, slender bodies and short legs, perfect for scurrying on the ground looking for a quick meal. Coloration tends to be brown or grey, some species wearing stripes, depending upon the coloration and patterns of the surrounding ground. Their heads are small and rounded, with a pointed muzzle. This pointed nose helps to smell out small prey hiding in holes in the ground. Their ears are also adapted to a burrowing way of life as they are small, rounded and are placed low on the head, not sticking out like in most carnivores. The pupils are more horizontal than vertical like many closely related carnivores. As many species live in open areas with lots of sunlight, the horizontal pupil helps to shut out a lot of glare from the sun. They also have very long claws, which are not retractable, that aid in digging.
Leave your scent
Mongooses have a large anal sac containing at least two glandular openings. This scent is used to identify members within a community, mark territories and communicate the sex of and sexual receptivity of a mongoose. These sacs are much larger in the mongoose family than in nearly all other mammals.
Return to Index.
GREAT BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OR ECOLOGICAL DISASTER?
Mongooses have been introduced to many parts of the world as a means of rodent and snake control. Generally this introduction has caused more harm than good as the mongoose has eaten many more things than its intended targets. A good example is the Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) which originates from Southeast Asia but can now be found in the West Indies,
 South America, Japan, Europe and several Pacific islands.
This species is a voracious and opportunistic predator of a variety of native species, and live stock, on islands where it has been introduced. In Jamaica, it has had devastating effects and is blamed for either the proximate or ultimate cause of extinction in five endemic species: one lizard - Giant galliwasp (Celestrus occiduus), one snake - Black racer (Alsophis ater), two birds - Jamaican Poor-will (Siphonorhis americanus) and Jamaican Petrel (Pterodroma caribbaea), and one rodent - Jamaican rice rat (Oryzomys antillurum). This mongoose has been labeled as one of the top worst invasive species and its control is considered the highest priority for most countries.
The control of pest populations by using another organism is called Biological control. Biological control has proven to be a very cost effective way of controlling pests but only where the organism does not in tern become a problem species. A lot of research must be done before any new species are introduced to an area.
Return to Index.
MONGOOSES OF ARDASTRA GARDENS
Ardastra has a type of mongoose known as the Slender-tailed meerkat.
Slender-tailed meerkat
(Suricata suricatta)
The most famous Meerkat, at least to children, is Timone from the “Lion King”. Timone, the cartoon character, was based on a meerkat that lives in a meerkat refuge in California.
Meerkats originate from the Southern part of Africa which is dominated by the Kalahari desert, in countries such as Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. They live in the more arid and open areas of all the mongooses and can be found in deserts to savannah. Meerkats are typical amongst mongooses in appearance except they have a thin tail as opposed to the bushy tails of the typical mongoose. The name “Meerkat” is an Afrikaans word meaning “marsh cat”, which does not do any justice to the animal that does not live anywhere near marshes and is not a cat.
Meerkats are diurnal (active in the day) and live in large communities, depending upon one another for survival; they are intelligent animals, which are extremely communicative, and possess a large “vocabulary”.
They spend most of the day foraging for termites, worms, crickets, grasshoppers, small rodents, lizards, small snakes, birds, eggs, fruit, ant larvae and even scorpions. Usually there is a meerkat acting as a "Sentry", watching for danger as the others look for food. The Sentry is usually the meerkat that is best fed at the time. At night they live in burrows, which are complex tunnel systems consisting of mounds, access holes and tunnels to numerous sleeping chambers. The meerkat community is typically called a “gang”, and can have up to 40 members. There is always an alpha male and an alpha female, which are the only breeding pair of the gang but the non-breeding members of the group help with raising the young.
The Kalahari Desert is a very harsh environment. Temperatures in the summer months can reach highs of about 115ºF (40ºC), giving sand temperatures of about 158ºF (70ºC) and in the winter months the temperatures can be as low as 14ºF (-10ºC) during the night. To cope with such extreme annual temperature changes, the Meerkat’s fur coats have a great ability to act as both insulation to keep heat in and an exhaust system to prevent them from overheating. In the winter, they will spread their hair out to create a heat insulation effect much like a wet suit. Their stomach acts as a sort of solar panel during the winter months. Under a thin layer of stomach hair is a patch of dark skin, which collects heat from the winter sun in order to provide warmth on cool days. Thus explaining why they stand erect, exposing their bellies to the sun, particularly on cool mornings.
The meerkat’s vision is outstanding. They have a dark band around their eyes, which reduces any glare from the sun. As a result, Meerkats have the ability to see a predatory bird as they look directly into the sun. However, their ability to see things close up is not as good. Furthermore, they seem to have a problem with depth perception, not being able to focus within 20 feet of themselves. Often they will bob their head up and down trying to get the perspective right.
|
|
|
|
