Stats

Lifespan

4-10 yrs

Size

Small

Diet

Carnivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Tropical dry forest

Range

South Asia

Movement

Running

Breeding

Live birth

Defense

Speed

Status

Uncommon

About

A slender, low-slung mongoose with a long tapering tail and grizzled reddish-brown fur, native to South Asia. It was infamously introduced to islands worldwide to control rats and snakes, only to become one of the world's most damaging invasive predators of native birds and reptiles.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   newborn

   A live-born newborn nurses on its mother's milk and depends on her for warmth and protection.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   A weaned juvenile begins eating solid food and learning from its parents or group.
3. 3.
   adult

   Fully grown at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Carnivora

Family

Herpestidae

Genus

Urva

Species

Urva auropunctata