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Herpestes brachyurus
Basic stats
Diet
Rodents, reptiles, amphibians, birds, invertebrates
Habitat
Evergreen forest and rural gardens, sea level to about 1,500m
Range
Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo
Litter size
2–3 young (typical for mongooses)
Gestation period
About 49–60 days (typical for mongooses)
Size
Small-medium (total length 60–65cm, tail ~25cm)
Weight
~1.4kg
A red-brown-to-black mongoose with black limbs, a greyish head and a distinctive black spot on the chin — and, most usefully against the similar collared mongoose, a proportionally much shorter tail relative to its body, and no pale collar marking around the neck.
Believed to be primarily nocturnal, though this rests more on inference than on a dedicated behavioural study. Forages on the ground for rodents, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates, usually alone. Near Threatened (IUCN, assessed 2015).
