Herpestes javanicus
SUBFAMILY
Herpestinae
TAXONOMY
Herpestes javanicus (Geoffroy, 1818), Java.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Javan gold-spotted mongoose; French: Petite mangouste indienne; German: Indien Goldstaub-Manguste; Spanish: Mangosta javanés.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Body length 15.4 in (39 cm); tail 10.2 in (26 cm); weight 1.8 lb (800 g). Coat is brown to reddish brown, speckled with black and gray hair tips.
DISTRIBUTION
Malayan and Indo-Chinese Peninsulas, Sumatra, Java. Introduced to West Indies, Hawaiian Islands, Fiji, Comores, Costa Rica, Japan, and Mauritius.
HABITAT
Habitat generalist. Found in arid plains to wet tropical forests.
BEHAVIOR
Diurnal and solitary. Home ranges are 0.62 mile (1 km) wide.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds on invertebrates, birds, rodents, and reptiles, including venomous snakes.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Females reproductive as early as 10 weeks. Breed two or three times per year. Litter of two to four young weaned in one month. Mating system is not known.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Where introduced, responsible for extinction of several endemic island species, killing of poultry, and the spread of rabies. Estimated to cause $50 million in damage every year in Puerto Rico and the Hawaiian Islands alone.
