Helogale

Helogale is a genus of mongoose in the family Herpestidae comprising two species and twelve subspecies, and includes the smallest mongooses in the world, both endemic to Africa. It contains the Ethiopian dwarf mongoose (Helogale hirtula), found in eastern Africa including Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, and the more widespread common dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula), ranging from Eritrea and Ethiopia south to Limpopo and Mpumalanga in South Africa. Both species are social, diurnal and vulnerable to predation because of their small size, and both live independently of open water, unlike many other mongooses.