Yellow Mongoose Introduction

The Yellow mongoose, also known as the Red meerkat is a species of small mammal native to south African countries including, Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Its name comes from the color of its coat, which can, in fact, vary among subspecies from yellow to gray. It prefers to live in habitats with open grassland, arid savanna and scrub areas where it can find a wide range of prey to eat. Yellow mongooses are primarily diurnal and spend most of their day foraging, though sometimes they are active at night. They rest or sunbathe outside their dens before going off to feed and travel. Living in permanent burrows, they often share them with meerkats and ground squirrels, although they can make very complex burrows. Yellow mongooses are a social species and the colonies they live in are usually focused on a family group of a male and female with their youngest offspring, along with subadults, very old adults, and other individuals that have an association with the group. The home ranges of males often overlap and are bigger than those of the females. They are quiet animals, though they will scream during fights, growl when threatened, bark, and purr. The tail may be a means of communication.