HABITAT AND HABITAT UTILIZATION
Courtesy of Marko Laakkonen
Habitat
Banded mongooses are found all across southern Africa from Gambia to Ethiopia southward to South Africa. Within these areas, they inhabit grassy plains, woodlands, rocky terrains, and riverine areas. They do not live in desert areas (Ladd, 2000). In general, the banded mongoose habitat consists of medium-height grassland with scattered thickets accompanied by scattered trees. Oftentimes, their habitats may also have areas of dense bushes. April, May, and November are the wettest months, with a rainfall of about 800-900 mm depending on the region in Africa (Rood, 1975). Other animals found on the home range include elephants, buffalos, birds, etc.
These mongooses utilize various types of dens including rock shelters, thickets, gullies, and warrens under bushes; however, they are most commonly found living in termite mounds. Nine out of the ten dens observed by E. Neal were in termite mounds; one was in a gully (1970). Most dens had about three entrances, bushy vegetation cover, and were within 75 m of a water source. More specifically, banded mongooses prefer “multi-entranced termitaria with open thicket, averaging 4 m from the nearest shelter, located in semi-closed woodland” den sites (Hiscocks and Perrin, 1991). In comparison to the dwarf mongoose, the banded mongoose’s den contains more entrances and is less dependent on vegetation cover than that of the dwarf mongoose. The greater number of entrances in the banded mongoose dens than the dwarf mongoose dens allows the larger pack to have enough access to the den and ventilation to the outside. The larger pack size of the banded mongoose also allows it to utilize the “selfish herd” strategy and occupy dens in more exposed areas than smaller dwarf mongoose packs. Banded mongoose have a den density of 0.71 dens/ha (Neal, 1970).
Termitaria are preferred to rock dens and thickets because they are more readily available and provide more sufficient shelter from predators than other types of dens. About 78% of the “suitable” dens in a study area in northeastern Natal, South Africa were termite mounds. An examination of a termite mound revealed a den structure with entrances leading into two side tunnels approximately 9.25 cm in diameter. The side tunnels subsequently led to enlarged chambers large enough to fit an entire family. The interior contained a smooth floor with no bedding. There were no termites present in the mounds, but a section above the main chamber did possess a colony of a species of large ants. Termite mounds have sturdy structures that are strong enough to resist the strokes of predators. In addition, the narrow entrances prevent larger predators from accessing the interior of the den (Neal, 1970).
Packs generally do not live in each burrow for more than a few days because predators can detect them easily. Banded mongooses travel in large packs, scent mark and leave feces near their den, making their presence noticeable to predators. In order to avoid predators, banded mongooses must move from den to den often. In one study, 59% of observed dens were used only for single-night stays. Others, however, have observed packs that stayed in dens for up to six weeks (Neal, 1970).
Food
Banded mongooses are carnivorous and feed primarily on invertebrates such as millipedes and beetles, especially beetles belonging to the coleopterous species (Rood, 1975, Neal, 1970). About 50% of their diet consists of these two types of animals (Neal, 1970). In a one-year study involving the collection and analysis of 120 fecal samples, 96% of the samples contained remnants of millipedes while 88% of samples contained traces of beetles. Millipedes made up 76% of the volume of collected feces. Ants, crickets, termites, earwigs, and other small vertebrates were also eaten by the mongooses, but only accounted for about 12% of their diet. Occasionally, banded mongooses were found to eat crabs, scorpions, snails, lizards, small snakes, reptile eggs, ground birds and their eggs. During the one-year observation period, four snake eggs were found in one dropping. Mongooses were seen capturing snakes twice, a toad once, a frog once, and mice on ten occasions. Banded mongooses occasionally drink water from temporary rain pools or lake shores, but only did so once every few days (Rood, 1975).
Banded mongooses locate food through olfaction and then use their long, front claws to retrieve it. Oftentimes, they seek out dung piles left by elephants and buffalo. The dung attracts a large number of millipedes and beetles. Although disturbing the dung causes the beetles to quickly find safety within the soil, banded mongooses can use their front claws to rapidly dig and retrieve the prey from the earth. In other feeding situations, they dig with their front claws to extract invertebrates from holes and crevices either within the ground or as high as 2 m above the ground in tree holes. Within the ground are earwig and dung beetle nests centimeters deep into the ground. Ant nests and termite surfaces within decaying tree trunks can also be reached by digging with the front claw. Although food sources are plentiful and distributed throughout the home range, banded mongooses may travel as far as 5-6 km in a day in order to obtain a sufficient amount of food (Rood, 1975).
The feeding behavior of banded mongooses varies depending on the type of food that they consume. Small invertebrates are usually caught and eaten quickly using the incisors. Prey that contain stings, bristles, or irritating substances such as earwigs, millipedes, caterpillars, and large spiders are first rolled around on the ground using the front feet prior to ingestion. Invertebrates are eaten from the end first whereas vertebrates are eaten head first. For hard-shelled food items such as eggs or snails, the banded mongoose backs up its hind into a stone and uses its front feet to hurl the object vertically or backward into the hard surface. These foods are eaten at a rate of one item per minute with the highest feeding rate occurring at dung piles (Rood, 1975).
Mongooses have adapted a dependence on small animals such as insects instead of larger vertebrates because it is more energetically efficient. Hunting small vertebrates is more difficult than eating insects because it takes more time to find a vertebrate. The mongooses would have to travel in small groups to be as inconspicuous as possible to their prey. Once found, several mongooses are necessary to kill a small vertebrate. Usually, the amount of food obtained from a kill is not enough food for every individual involved in taking down the animal. Therefore, they would need to kill several small vertebrates each day to fulfill their energetic needs. This method of feeding is time consuming, energetically costly, and does not offer the same amount of protection as hunting in large groups.
The banded mongoose spends a large portion of its day feeding. About an hour after dawn, it emerges from the den and inspects the area. The pack spends some time near the mound doing various activities such as grooming or defecating, but then leaves to forage for invertebrates in the earth or in elephant and buffalo dung (Neal, 1970). The next 2-3 hours are spent feeding followed by a brief resting period during the heat of the day (Rood, 1975). The mongooses do not return to the den until late in the evening about an hour before dark (Neal, 1970).
| General Description | Habitat and Habitat Utilization | Social System | Social Spacing | Social Relationships | Social Cooperation | Summary | References |
This web site was completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Biology 323, Animal Behavior, at Davidson College in the Spring Semester 2005