Hanging onto the edge of urban development, the yellow mongoose occasionally ventures into town, having to contend with excited dogs, heavy traffic and the occasional stick-wielding human.
The yellow mongoose (Cynictispenicillata) is one of the most ‘urbanised’ of the mongoose family. They have adapted remarkably well to the fringes of cities and towns and can often be seen in parks, rocky ridges, along streams and rivers and open grassland. Naturally, these mongooses occur over most of southern Africa and are particularly common in the arid regions such as the Kalahari and the Karoo. They avoid the more subtropical areas of KwaZulu-Natal and parts of the lowveld.
This mongoose belongs to the Family Herpestidae, which also includes the charismatic suricates. There are about 23 species distributed across Africa. Yellow mongooses are very attractive with their golden fawn-brown fur, sleek body features, orange eyes and white tail tip. About the size of a poodle, but more slender, they can be active during all times of the day.
Yellow mongooses live in small colonies of five to 10 animals. They sleep in small burrows as well as sheltering in rock piles and fallen logs, as well as large piles of building rubble where these have been dumped. In the Kalahari they share burrow systems with suricates and ground squirrels. They actively forage during the day, digging into sand, under rocks, scratching around leaves and grass, in order to locate their food. These mongooses feed on insects such as beetles and grasshoppers, other invertebrates including scorpions, small mammals as well as small birds including eggs. Female mongooses give birth to two to five young in summer.
- Camouflaged creature surveying its terrain.
Up close with these little creatures
The photographs were taken on a rocky ridge fringing suburban Alberton near Johannesburg. It took several days to get close enough to get the photographs. It was a constant game of peek-a-boo. The mongoose would scatter as I came round a large boulder into sight. They quickly learned that I was harmless and as time went on, I eventually could get within two metres of them and closely watch as they went about their daily activities.
- Zooming into the sleek features of the yellow mongoose.
-Article by Warren Schmidt www.wrsphotographic.com
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