Skip to content
Cabañeros National Park
ES
Cabañeros
An Egyptian Mongoose walks pressed to the ground, its long tail stretched out

Mammals

Egyptian Mongoose

Herpestes ichneumon

Cover photo: מינוזיג, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Characteristics of the Egyptian Mongoose

Order
Carnivora
Family
Herpestidae
Species
Herpestes ichneumon
Tail
36–45 cm
Average weight
2.1–2.4 kg
Activity
Almost exclusively diurnal
Diet
Young rabbits and small mammals; also insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fruit
Social life
Often in family groups that move in single file

Conservation status

  1. LC
Global (IUCN)
Least Concern

When to see it

Mammal · in Cabañeros

Scarce. The park guide calls it «scarce and peculiar»; it is one of the least numerous carnivores.

Months of the yearly cycle
JFMAMJJASOND
Rutnonoyesyesnononononononono
Birthsnonononoyesyesyesnonononono

Photos of the Egyptian Mongoose

Identification of the Egyptian Mongoose

It is the only mongoose that lives in Europe. Males weigh on average 2.4 kilos and females 2.1. Its elongated silhouette, the tail with a black tuft and its habit of coming out by day set it apart from any other carnivore in the park.

Habitat and distribution of the Egyptian Mongoose

It prefers dense Mediterranean scrub and, above all, the banks of streams and damp areas with brambles, oleanders and rushes. The map shows where it is observed on the peninsula.

Cabañeros
Areas where it is regularly recorded since 2010Squares of about 25 km where it is recorded regularly (occasional records are left out). Data from GBIF.org (3,290 records, retrieved October 2026); outline from Natural Earth.

Breeding of the Egyptian Mongoose

The rut is mostly in March and April, and births are between May and July, with two to four young per litter.

Diet of the Egyptian Mongoose

Young rabbits and small mammals dominate its diet, but it eats everything: insects, birds, carrion, amphibians, reptiles, crabs, fruit and even mushrooms.

The Egyptian Mongoose in Cabañeros

The park guide describes it as «scarce and peculiar», and the website places it among the least numerous carnivores, ahead only of the lynx. The guide cites it in the closed woodland of peonies and hawthorns, where cats, genets, mongooses and badgers take shelter. Little is known of its biology on a local scale.

Can it be seen in Cabañeros?

It is difficult, although being diurnal it is one of the carnivores that let themselves be seen by day. With luck, crossing a track beside a stream with dense vegetation.

Other mammals of Cabañeros

Bibliography