Playing with an adorable rescued Yellow Mongoose

Описание: Not a pet!

This rescued Yellow Mongoose lives in a wildlife sanctuary and can't be returned to the wild, but he loves to play with his caretakers! So adorable!
The Yellow Mongoose (Cynictis penicillata) is native to Southern Africa, and can be found in open, semi-arid areas, such as grasslands, scrub and semi-desert scrub. It is rarely seen in deserts, mountains or forests.
It belongs to the Herpestidae family, along with 29 other species of mongooses from Africa and Southern Eurasia, 4 species of dwarf mongooses, and the Meerkat (Suricata suricatta). The Yellow Mongoose is the only member of the Cynictis genus, but it has several subspecies, based on color variation, size and hair and tail length.
They are carnivorous, feeding on small animals such as lizards, snakes, amphibians, small mammals, but mainly insects and other invertebrates. They also eat all sorts of eggs. They have strong claws, used for digging and grabbing their food.
They live underground, and may share the burrow with other species. Yellow Mongooses are facultatively social; they may den socially, cooperating in the rearing the pups and defending the territory, but they forage alone.
They are diurnal animals, although nocturnal activity had been recorded.
They are generally quiet animals, although high-pitched screams can be heard when they are fighting, as well as low defensive growls, and a short bark when alarm calling. They can also make a soft purring sound when mating.
Yellow mongooses breed seasonally, twice a year. The female gives birth from one to three pups per litter; first, around October, and then between December and February. The pups are weaned around two months old, when they leave the burrow t forage with the adults for the first time, and become independent between four and five months of age.