Marsh mongoose

The marsh mongoose, Atilax paludinosus, also called the water mongoose, is a medium-sized mongoose native to sub-Saharan Africa, where it lives in freshwater wetlands, marshes and swamps along slow-moving rivers and streams and also in river deltas and estuarine and brackish coastal habitats. It occurs from Senegal and The Gambia east to Ethiopia and across much of Central, Eastern and parts of Southern Africa. The fur is dark reddish brown to black with white and fawn guard hairs, and adults weigh roughly 2.5 to 3 kilograms. It is mainly solitary, an excellent swimmer that can dive for up to 15 seconds, and it eats crustaceans, amphibians, fish, insects, rodents and some fruit. It is the only living member of the genus Atilax and has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2008.