DFW Invasive Species
Small Indian Mongoose
Small Indian Mongoose
LOCATION
The Small Indian Mongoose can be found throughout the U.S Virgin Islands from open landscapes and coastal zones to dry forests and dense scrubland. Mongoose thrive in human altered environments.
Scientific name
Urva auropunctata (previously Herpestes auropunctatus)
NATIVE ORIGIN
Native distribution spans from Iraq through India to Myanmar (Burma).
Mongoose were first introduced to the Caribbean region in the late 19th century for rat control on sugar cane plantations. From Jamaica, they were taken to Puerto Rico, St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John between 1877 and 1879.
Mongoose are small, weasel-like mammals with slender bodies, short legs, and long tails that make up almost half their total length. Their narrow heads have a pointed snout and short, round ears. Their fur ranges from brown-gold to brown-grey in color and is paler on their belly than their backs. Their eyes are amber with body lengths ranging from 20-26 inches and they can weigh up to 2 pounds. Mongoose are most active during the day, retreating to burrows overnight to rest.
Mongoose do not have breeding seasons with females producing 2-3 litters a year between 49 day gestation periods. Litters can range from 1 to 5 “pups” that begin to hunt for their mothers at only 6 weeks of age. In the wild, life expectancy of mongoose is 3 to 5 years.
Mongoose do not have breeding seasons with females producing 2-3 litters a year between 49 day gestation periods. Litters can range from 1 to 5 “pups” that begin to hunt for their mothers at only 6 weeks of age. In the wild, life expectancy of mongoose is 3 to 5 years.
Ecological Impact
PREDATORS
REPRODUCTION
PREDATORS
Mongoose are opportunistic feeders that will eat birds, small mammals, reptiles, insects, fruits, and plants. They prey on the eggs and hatchlings of native ground nesting birds and endangered sea turtles. The small Indian mongoose is an opportunistic feeder that preys on reptiles, amphibians, birds, invertebrates, and plants. In the US Virgin Islands, they are known to eat turtle eggs and are damaging the populations of 3 federally endangered species of sea turtles; Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), Green (Chelonia mydas), and Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea). Their wide variety in diet and lack of natural predators in the US Virgin Islands makes them a significant threat to native species and a major deterrent to the recovery or reestablishment of island animals. In addition, mongoose are carriers of human and animal diseases, including rabies and human Leptospira bacterium.
REPRODUCTION
Controlling the Small Indian Mongoose is crucial in keeping the Virgin Islands healthy and wild.
Management/Control
TRAPPING
TRAPPING
At present, the primary methodology for mongoose eradication is trapping followed by euthanizing. Although effective in short term for sensitive areas, trapping needs to be done efficiently and consistently. This is due to the mongoose’s ability to quickly recolonize an area after trapping was conducted.
What You Can Do!
GET INVOLVED
GET INVOLVED
- You can report mongoose sightings and/or interactions by calling the Division of Fish and Wildlife offices directly at (340) 773-1082. You may also submit an anonymous “tip” to the DPNR hotline. This can be done online through the website DPNR Hotline (vi.gov) or on the go through the downloadable DPNR Hotline App!
Download on the Google Play App Store
Download on the Apple App Store
- We understand mongoose are especially common in the USVI but any data is good data and gives DFW a better understanding as to where population hotspots are on the islands, and where to concentrate our eradication efforts.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
We understand mongoose are especially common in the USVI but any data is good data and gives DFW a better understanding as to where population hotspots are on the islands, and where to concentrate our eradication efforts.
References
- Seaman and Randal 1962
- Nellis 1989, Lewis et al. 2011
- Horst, G.R.; Hoagland, D.B.; Kilpatrick, C.W. The mongoose in the West Indies: The biogeography and population biology of an introduced species. In Biogeography of the West Indies: Patterns and Perspectives, 2nd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, USA, 2001; pp. 409–424.
- Hoagland, D.; Horst, G.; Kilpatrick, C. Biogeography and population biology of the mongoose in the West Indies. In Biogeography of the West Indies: Past, Present and Future; Wood, C., Ed.; Sandhill Crane Press: Gainesville, FL, USA, 1989; pp. 611–633. [Google Scholar]
- Berentsen, A. R., Pitt, W. C. & Sugihara, R. T. Ecology of the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) in North America. In Ecology and Management of Terrestrial Vertebrate Invasive Species in the United States (ed. Pitt, W. C., Beasley, J. C., Witmer, G.) 251–267, https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315157078 (2018).
- issg Database: Ecology of Herpestes auropunctatus
- (Roy et al. 2002)
- Peridomestic small Indian mongoose: An invasive species posing as potential zoonotic risk for leptospirosis in the Caribbean – ScienceDirect
- Herpestes auropunctatus (small Indian mongoose) (cabi.org)
