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Liberian mongoose Facts

Liberian mongoose Facts
Liberian mongoose is a mammal that belongs to the mongoose family. It can be found in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and the Ivory Coast. Liberian mongoose inhabits swamps and areas near the riverbanks that are tightly associated with deciduous forests. It prefers habitats that have deep, sandy soil. Exact number of remaining Liberian mongooses in the wild is unknown. Since they are rarely seen in the wild, scientists believe that they should be listed as endangered. Major threats for the survival of Liberian mongooses are habitat loss (due to deforestation), hunting (because of their meat which represents important part of diet among the local tribes) and accidental poisoning with pesticides.
Interesting Liberian mongoose Facts:
Liberian mongoose can reach 16.5 inches in length and 4.4 to 5 pounds of weight.
Liberian mongoose is covered with dark brown fur. It has two white lines with dark-colored line in between them that stretch from neck to shoulders. Males and females look alike.
Liberian mongoose has elongated snout with small teeth, pointed nose and long ears. It has bushy tail with narrow, pointed tip.
Liberian mongoose can be distinguished from other species of mongoose by larger body size, pointed head and longer ears. Liberian mongoose also has more teeth (40 instead 36), but they are smaller in size compared to other species of mongoose.
Front feet of Liberian mongoose are equipped with long claws which are used for digging of the burrows and extraction of food from the soil, hollow logs and streambed.
According to the locals, Liberian mongoose is an excellent climber, but it spends most of its life on the ground.
Liberian mongoose is diurnal animal (active during the day).
Liberian mongoose is a carnivore (meat-eater). Its snout and teeth are designed for diet based on earthworms and insects. Besides that, it also eats small vertebrates (including poultry) and eggs.
Liberian mongooses live in groups composed of 4 to 6 animals. They sometimes gather in larger groups of up to 15 members.
Liberian mongoose can be found in the tree cavities and burrows usually near the termite mounds and base of the trees. They use these structures as shelter.
Mating season of Liberian mongoose probably takes place at the beginning of the rainy season (in May).
Little is known about reproductive behavior of Liberian mongooses, except that females give birth during July and August, when food is abundant.
Liberian mongoose was discovered in 1958, but little was known about this species until the 1989, when first Liberian mongoose was finally caught. Captured animal (male) was transferred to Toronto Zoo, but he died before scientists managed to collect more details about biology of this species.
Field studies of Liberian mongooses are nearly impossible due to civil wars and political unrests in Liberia.
Life span of Liberian mongoose is unknown.


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