Herpestidae
Sign in to saveA 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 in the Early Miocene and genetically diverged into two main lineages between 19.1 and . There is a large introduced population on the islands of Hawaii. Mongoose diets are varied but consist of mainly insects, hatchlings, reptiles and birds.
AI overview
Herpestidae is the family of small carnivorous mammals known as mongooses, which are found naturally in Africa, Asia, and southern Europe, divided into two subfamilies with a combined 34 living species. These animals have existed since the Early Miocene and play a role in their ecosystems by hunting insects, reptiles, birds, and other small animals, though they have also become an introduced species in places like Hawaii.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Species
FAMILY
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassMammalia
- OrderCarnivora
- FamilyHerpestidae
獴科（学名 Herpestidae），哺乳綱食肉目的一科，外形较像猫，有貓鼬的別稱。最新的分类方法只包括獴亚科一个亚科。
via GBIF
Research
571 papersvia PubMed
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Herpestoidea
Article
11 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Characteristics
- Taxonomy
- Phylogenetic relationships
- Extinct species
- Behaviour and ecology
- Cultural significance
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
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 in the Early Miocene and genetically diverged into two main lineages between 19.1 and . There is a large introduced population on the islands of Hawaii. Mongoose diets are varied but consist of mainly insects, hatchlings, reptiles and birds.
==Etymology== The name is derived from names used in India for Herpestes species: or in classical Hindi; in Marathi; in Telugu; , and in Kannada.