Amidst the lush summer vegetation, rain-filled waterholes, blooming wild flowers and harmonious calls of all the birds ready to breed, it’s the perfect time of year to try and spend some time with a family of Dwarf Mongoose.
In previous blogs written by Patrick Grealy and Keagan Chasenski, they describe the social complexity and behaviours of these small mammals.
In the last few weeks, I have noticed that many of the families we have spotted have tiny pups popping their heads out of the termite mounds, making them all the more ADORABLE!
It is normally first thing in the morning when the sun’s heat warms the earth, or last light at dusk, that many termite mounds come to life as the dwarf mongoose mill about before beginning their day of foraging, or soaking up the last light before the end of the day.
It got me thinking more about the lifecycle of the smallest carnivores found here at Londolozi…
‘Tis the Season for Baby Mongoose
The emergence of baby dwarf mongoose at this time of year is perfectly timed. The warmer, wetter season of summer at Londolozi brings the return of an abundance of invertebrates, which in turn offers a crucial window for the alpha female dwarf mongoose to breed. This period typically runs from November through to May.
A cute moment with an adult and a pup, moments before we got to witness the adult pick up the pup with its mouth and carry it away (watch the video below!)
These animals are cooperative breeders, meaning that parental care is shared amongst the other members of the group. By sharing and taking on the vital roles of grooming, foraging support, and even acting as a protective heat shield for the group’s pups, they drastically improve the survival of these tiny pups.
They have a pretty straightforward biological timeline:
The alpha pair mate and the female carries her young for a brief gestation of approximately 55 days. The breeding season can result in up to 3 litters per year for the dominant female, with each litter consisting of about 3-4 pups.
Like most other carnivores, the young are born altricial, meaning they are tiny, blind, with ears that are closed and without teeth when they are born. Ultimately, they are helpless and would not survive very long without the warmth of the burrow and the nutritious milk from their mother. They are sustained on this milk for about 6-7 weeks before being weaned.
From then on, their diet is primarily insectivorous, with the juveniles beginning to move around and forage alongside the adults at about 6 months of age. It takes them about three years to reach sexual maturity, where you will tend to see the males disperse and females stay within the business to help raise the next generation of youngsters.
To survive in the bush, mongoose pups must quickly learn to trust their caregivers as well as the sentinels (those watchful individuals who constantly scan the skies and surrounding grass).
Below is some footage of a sighting I had earlier this year back in January of an incredible moment watching an adult carrying a pup out of the mound (cannot be sure if it was carried by its mother given their cooperative nature), as well as a more recent sighting from this new summer season of a relaxed business of mongoose milling about with some pups.
I find these creatures so entertaining to watch and observe! If you find yourself on safari during our summer months, be sure to keep an eye out for these tiny pups!
Cuteness overload! I was surprised to learn it takes about 3 years for them to reach sexual maturity. Thanks for the info!
These animals are really so cute and entertaining. I love them.
Thanks Kate – as you say, adorable! While I’ve seen them quite a few times, they move so fast I’ve given up trying to photograph them.
Adults are already small and nice, babies… wow! How bold and clever those small animals are! As a child I thought of them as little heroes, fighting against large venomous snakes…
Hi Patrick, these little mongoose pups are the cutest babies ever. The mongoose family are always busy foraging and looking for new insects to eat. So it is only the alpha female that breeds and has help from the others to coparent. Right time to have pups after the rain then everything comes alive in the bush, meaning lots of insects, invertebrates to eat.
Thanks for sharing Kate! One can never have enough of these curious, courageous and adorable creatures, right? And now with a bunch of puppies too!
To be able to view a family of dwarf mongoose is certainly one of the “holy grails” of sightings. They are just so cute, whether adults or babies. I appreciated the information you provided regarding their breeding and care routine, in some respects similar to wild dogs or even lions inasmuch as the babies can be cared for in a cooperative environment. Thanks for the wonderful photos to accompany your article.
They are darling little pups! Thanks for the pictures and videos!