This little critter is tougher than it looks.
It's so tough it can take on lethal predators
capable of killing a human with one venomous strike.
Say hello to the mongoose.
Hi mongoose!
Now, say hello to this king cobra.
If you dare.
The mongoose might seem adorable,
but it's actually one of nature's craftiest assassins.
At first glance,
it's easy to confuse the mongoose with a weasel,
but it's actually more closely related to the meerkat.
Like Timon from the "Lion King".
It is part of the feliformia family,
which means “cat-like carnivore".
The smallest of the mongoose family is the dwarf mongoose,
measuring in at a dainty 17 to 24 cm (7 to 10 in)
with a 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 in) tail.
The white-tailed mongoose on the other hand,
grows between 48 to 71 cm (19 to 28 in)
and can have a tail as long as 47 cm (18.5 in).
You can find them scattered across Africa
as well as in southern Asia and Europe.
Carnivorous by nature,
most mongooses prefer rodents, reptiles and birds.
But some species will also eat plants and fruit.
Eggs are also a favorite mongoose food.
The Malagasy narrow-striped mongoose will lay on its side
facing a rock and push an egg against it to crack it open.
The mongoose is not only fearless, but smart.
It is the slender mongoose and gray mongoose
that will boldly pursue the lethal king cobra.
Mongooses will fearlessly provoke
any cobras they encounter.
Their speed and agility
allows them to dodge a snake's attack.
Once a cobra begins to tire and slow down,
the mongoose performs its finishing move
by chomping its skull like a potato chip.
T.K.O.!
That looks like it hurts
Close to 80% of these mongoose
versus cobra battles end with the mongoose as the victor.
Cobras aren't tracking the stats,
but they usually do whatever they can
to avoid a mongoose in the first place.
While a king cobra bite can easily kill an adult human
in less than 30 minutes,
the mongoose has no reaction to its venom.
This is because it has a unique genetic mutation
that does not recognize the venom's neurotoxins,
preventing the poison from paralyzing its muscles.
This allows the mongoose to survive bites
and happily munch on the venomous reptile
once a fight is over.
But the mongoose's survival skills
go beyond their ability to take down predators
that most animals would never touch.
Some species, like the banded mongoose,
communicate using scent secreted
from their anal glands.
They live in small packs called mobs,
and scent is how they recognize each other.
Dominant males will leave their scent
on each family member, which is called scent-marking.
This is how they know
which mongooses belong to their mob
and which are outsiders, who are not welcome.
They're a very exclusive bunch.
I've gotta fill out an application and everything.
The banded mongoose also makes various grunts
that are used to 'talk' with each other.
These sounds have been compared
to that of consonants and vowels.
Anyone down to learn Mongoose-ese? Just me?
Okay.
Unfortunately, some mongoose species
are threatened due to deforestation
caused by urbanization and farming.
Air pollution and climate change are major issues, too.
And their love for eggs means they often raid farms,
making them a nuisance to farmers who cull them.
They are even threatened by poachers
who eat and sell their meat
or use them as a roadside attraction.
Poor mongoose.
If you think the mongoose is tough,
you should learn about the brawny honey badger
in another episode.
Feasting on king cobras
and communicating with scent is what mongooses do.
And that's what makes them Crazy Creatures.