The yellow mongoose is a small member of the mongoose family consisting of many different species. This creature, hence its name, has a yellow tint to its coat with lighter fur under its chin and on its stomach.

Yellow mongooses have fluffy tails, but depending on where it is located, it may have slightly different colored fur and differentiate in size. They have small ears, slender bodies, and pointed noses.

The yellow mongoose mostly lives in southern Africa. It prefers areas with open lands, like grasslands and semi-desert scrubland. Some countries yellow mongooses live in are Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

Yellow mongooses are territorial and use scent markers to define their territory. Alpha males will also rub their back on raised objects and leave fur behind as a visual mark of territory.

The yellow mongoose is a carnivore, whose diet consists of mostly insects like crickets, grasshoppers, and termites. However, they also prey on some small rodents, birds, and reptiles. They have been known to bring these larger prey back to their burrows for their young to feed on them. Yellow mongooses are foragers and look for food mostly during the day, but have been known to have some nocturnal tendencies.

The mating season for the yellow mongoose ranges from July to September and most births occur in October and November. Yellow mongooses are polygynous, meaning one male will mate with multiple females.

Once pregnant, a female’s gestation period lasts anywhere from 42 to 57 days. Females give birth to anywhere from 1 to 5 offspring, but usually just have 2 or 3 at a time. Females will go into a burrow and have the young there to protect them from predators. At about 10 months old they are fully grown and reach sexual maturity at a year old.

Yellow mongooses lack sexual dimorphism. This means that, unlike most animals, you cannot easily tell the difference between a male and a female yellow mongoose. They are all relatively the same color, size, and act fairly similar.

Yellow mongooses are quiet animals, although they do make noises when they are frightened, angered, or when they are feeling playful. They can scream, purr, and bark, and communicate with one another through their tail movements.