Gambian mongoose

The Gambian mongoose, Mungos gambianus, is a mongoose native to the Guinean forest-savanna mosaic from Gambia to Nigeria, endemic to West Africa, where it lives in mesic savannas and woodlands from Senegal and Gambia east to Nigeria. William Ogilby described it in 1835 from a specimen from Gambia. It has grizzled grey and brown fur mixed with red on the back, hips and thighs, a dark brown stripe from the ear to the shoulder, black feet and a black-tufted tail. It is diurnal, gregarious and terrestrial, living in groups of 10 to 20 individuals that sometimes exceed 40, and it is primarily insectivorous, eating mostly beetles and millipedes along with small rodents, reptiles and eggs. It has been listed as Least Concern since 2008.