When their prey has poisonous spines, such as a caterpillar, or noxious skin secretions, such as a toad, the banded mongoose will roll the prey in the dirt until the spines or skin secretion has been rubbed off.
I LIVE IN AFRICA
Banded mongooses live in Africa and might be found anywhere from Gambia to northeast Ethiopia and south of the border of South Africa. This species can live in a variety of habitats, including savannas, grasslands, shrublands, and forests.
I AM AN OMNIVORE
The mongooses’ diet includes insects and other invertebrates, birds, rodents, fallen fruit, and snakes.
I LIVE IN A TROOP
A group of banded mongooses is called a troop, which is made up of 5 to 30 mongooses. Together, they live in dens, which are usually burrows that other animals have abandoned, and they mark their territory using a scent that they secrete. Banded mongooses typically stay on the ground but they are good climbers and can swim to avoid danger.
