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Mongoose
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Mongoose
A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family has two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to southern Europe, Africa and Asia, whereas the Mungotinae comprises 11 species native to Africa. The Herpestidae originated about 21.8 ± 3.6 million years ago in the Early Miocene and genetically diverged into two main lineages between 19.1 and 18.5 ± 3.5 million years ago. There is a large introduced population on the islands of Hawaii. Mongoose diets are varied but consist of mainly insects, hatchlings, reptiles and birds.
The name is derived from names used in India for Herpestes species: muṅgūs or maṅgūs in classical Hindi; muṅgūs in Marathi; mungisa in Telugu; mungi, mungisi and munguli in Kannada.
The form of the English name (since 1698) was altered to its "-goose" ending by folk etymology. It was spelled "mungoose" in the 18th and 19th centuries. The plural form is "mongooses", although "mongeese" is also used.
Mongooses have long faces and bodies, small, rounded ears, short legs, and long, tapering tails. Most species are brindled or grizzled, while some have strongly marked coats that resemble those of mustelids. Their markings consist of dark legs, stripes, and pale ringed tails. They have narrow, oval pupils and nonretractile claws. Most species have a large anal scent gland, used for territorial marking and signaling reproductive status, and a short and smooth penis with a baculum and an elongated urethral opening on its underside. The dental formula of mongooses is 3.1.3–4.1–23.1.3–4.1–2. They range from 24 to 58 cm (9.4 to 22.8 in) in head-to-body length, excluding the tail. In weight, they range from 320 g (11 oz) to 5 kg (11 lb).
Mongooses are one of at least four known mammalian taxa with mutations in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor that protect against snake venom. Their modified receptors prevent the snake venom α-neurotoxin from binding. These represent four separate, independent mutations. In the mongoose, this change is effected, uniquely, by glycosylation.
Herpestina was a scientific name proposed by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1845 who considered the mongooses a subfamily of the Viverridae. In 1864, John Edward Gray classified the mongooses into three subfamilies: Galidiinae, Herpestinae and Mungotinae. This grouping was supported by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1919, who referred to the family as "Mungotidae".
Genetic research based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA analyses revealed that the Galidiinae are more closely related to Madagascar carnivores, including the fossa and Malagasy civet. Galidiinae is considered a subfamily of Eupleridae.
Phylogenetic research of 18 mongoose species revealed that the solitary and social mongooses form different clades. The phylogenetic relationships of Herpestidae are shown in the following cladogram:
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Mongoose
A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family has two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to southern Europe, Africa and Asia, whereas the Mungotinae comprises 11 species native to Africa. The Herpestidae originated about 21.8 ± 3.6 million years ago in the Early Miocene and genetically diverged into two main lineages between 19.1 and 18.5 ± 3.5 million years ago. There is a large introduced population on the islands of Hawaii. Mongoose diets are varied but consist of mainly insects, hatchlings, reptiles and birds.
The name is derived from names used in India for Herpestes species: muṅgūs or maṅgūs in classical Hindi; muṅgūs in Marathi; mungisa in Telugu; mungi, mungisi and munguli in Kannada.
The form of the English name (since 1698) was altered to its "-goose" ending by folk etymology. It was spelled "mungoose" in the 18th and 19th centuries. The plural form is "mongooses", although "mongeese" is also used.
Mongooses have long faces and bodies, small, rounded ears, short legs, and long, tapering tails. Most species are brindled or grizzled, while some have strongly marked coats that resemble those of mustelids. Their markings consist of dark legs, stripes, and pale ringed tails. They have narrow, oval pupils and nonretractile claws. Most species have a large anal scent gland, used for territorial marking and signaling reproductive status, and a short and smooth penis with a baculum and an elongated urethral opening on its underside. The dental formula of mongooses is 3.1.3–4.1–23.1.3–4.1–2. They range from 24 to 58 cm (9.4 to 22.8 in) in head-to-body length, excluding the tail. In weight, they range from 320 g (11 oz) to 5 kg (11 lb).
Mongooses are one of at least four known mammalian taxa with mutations in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor that protect against snake venom. Their modified receptors prevent the snake venom α-neurotoxin from binding. These represent four separate, independent mutations. In the mongoose, this change is effected, uniquely, by glycosylation.
Herpestina was a scientific name proposed by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1845 who considered the mongooses a subfamily of the Viverridae. In 1864, John Edward Gray classified the mongooses into three subfamilies: Galidiinae, Herpestinae and Mungotinae. This grouping was supported by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1919, who referred to the family as "Mungotidae".
Genetic research based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA analyses revealed that the Galidiinae are more closely related to Madagascar carnivores, including the fossa and Malagasy civet. Galidiinae is considered a subfamily of Eupleridae.
Phylogenetic research of 18 mongoose species revealed that the solitary and social mongooses form different clades. The phylogenetic relationships of Herpestidae are shown in the following cladogram:
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