Feeding Behavior and Prey Capture Techniques

The dwarf mongoose, being a very small carnivore that inhabits the semi-arid bushland of Southern and Eastern Africa is specifically adapted for catching small ground-living prey such as insects and small vertebrates. The mongoose has a long slender body with short legs and has long blunt nails on its feet and hands that it uses in digging shallow trenches and in scooping prey to its mouth. Because the mongoose is not well adapted for climbing, it hunts it prey exclusively on the ground and upon sighting a familiar prey species, makes quick darting movements to kill the prey with a bite to the head area (Rasa, 1973b). The mongoose's extremely quick reaction time is also very helpful in attacks on ground predators such as cobras (Mongoose Movie).

The sequence of prey capture has been outlined extensively for a wide variety of prey species by Rasa, and here follows a description prey capture for a medium sized animal:

The dwarf mongoose first recognizes the prey by olfactory sensing, followed by intense visual fixation, and rapid up and down "flagging" movements of the head and neck. After sizing up its prey, the mongoose makes a quick movement to capture, pin it down with its forearms, and bite it through the front part of the head (Rasa, 1973b).

Mongooses are very selfish with their prey once they have caught it, often displaying aggression toward other adult mongooses that attempt to approach while they are feeding. The "feeding growl" is used to ward off other adults and this behavior starts immediately after the prey has been captured and increases its loudness and harshness with the approach of others.

Three types of invertebrates are typically caught by the dwarf mongoose - slow moving or motionless insects such as woodlouse, mealworm larvae, and pupae, soft carapaced beetles, and snails - actively moving types, such as crab spider, cockroach, and cricket - and flying/jumping insects such as grasshopper, Lepidoptera, flies and bees (Rasa, 1973b). The dwarf mongoose also eats eggs from hens, geese, and pigeons, amphibians, such as newts and frogs, day old chicks, and small mice and hamsters. The response to each type of prey is generally similar.