The Indian grey mongoose typically opens eggs by holding them between the paws and biting a hole in the little end. When dealing with scorpions, no measures are taken to disable the sting, and they are picked up in any manner. Secondary protection against the venomous bite includes the stiff rigid hair, which is excited at such times, the thick loose skin and specialised acetylcholine receptors render it resistant or immune to snake venom. It primarily achieves this through tiring the snake out, by enticing it to make multiple strikes which it acrobatically avoids. This species is known for its ability to combat venomous snakes. The illustration of Indian grey mongoose and cobra It kills prey by delivering a bite to the neck or head. Also eaten are ground birds, their eggs, grasshoppers, scorpions, centipedes, frogs, crabs, fish, and parts of plants: fruits, berries, and roots, as well as larger prey including hares and egrets. The Indian grey mongoose is omnivorous, though most of its diet is made up from live prey it catches from being an opportunistic hunter, with mice, rats, lizards, snakes, and beetles making up the bulk. It was later classified in the genus Herpestes, but all Asian mongooses are now classified in the genus Urva. Ichneumon edwardsii was the scientific name proposed by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1817. Although the creature has been described as being less dependent on human settlements, observations in India in heavily forested areas show it to be much more common around human settlements often scavenging on waste. These include grasslands, open areas, rocky patches, scrub, semi-desert, cultivated fields and other disturbed areas, areas of thickets, bushy vegetation, dry secondary forest, thorn forest, forest edges, and also near human settlement. They appear to be able to occupy a wide variety of habitats but preferring open types. ĭespite being a common animal, the natural history of the Indian grey mongoose is not well known. A 2007 study found specimens also in Turkey, and United Arab Emirates, thus extending the known range. It has been generally accepted that the Indian grey mongoose occurs in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, as represented by the distribution map. ![]() Indian grey mongooses are unusual in that they can discriminate four colours, more than most other mammals. ![]() Males are significantly larger than the females. ![]() Their tail length equals their body length. The tail is bushy, whilst the tip of the tail, if coloured, is pale yellow or white. The hair around the muzzle and eyes is also brown but with a stronger rusty red colouring. The legs are brown and darker than the body. The grizzled appearance comes from the individual hairs being ringed by creamy-white and black. The ruddiness of the coat varies in different subspecies, but it is described as appearing more grey than other mongooses. The Indian grey mongoose has tawny grey or iron grey fur, which is more grizzled and stiffer and coarser than that of other mongooses. Along the Chambal River it occasionally feeds on gharial eggs. ![]() Its prey includes rodents, snakes, birds’ eggs and hatchlings, lizards and a variety of invertebrates. It is an excellent climber and usually lives singly or in pairs. It is bold and inquisitive but wary, seldom venturing far from cover. It lives in burrows, hedgerows and thickets, among groves of trees, and takes shelter under rocks or bushes and even in drains. The grey mongoose inhabits open forests, scrublands and cultivated fields, often close to human habitation. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The Indian grey mongoose ( Urva edwardsii) is a mongoose species native to the Indian subcontinent and West Asia.
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