Fun Mongoose Facts for Kids

Few animals are as scary as a hooded cobra, but mongooses aren’t afraid of them. Cobras are so poisonous that one bite can kill a human in 30 minutes, but mongooses often attack and eat these snakes.

A mongoose moves very quickly to avoid a cobra’s bite. Scientist think mongooses might be immune to snake venom so it doesn’t hurt them. Mongooses also have thick skin and fur, which protects them from a cobra’s fangs.

Mongoose Image - Science for Kids All About Mongooses — Mongooses live in Africa, Asia and parts of Europe. Mongooses are small, no larger than a cat. Read on for more all about mongooses.

Besides snakes, mongooses eat lizards, insects, beetles, eggs, fruit, birds and small mammals. But you won’t see any mongooses in your neighborhood. Mongooses live in Africa, Asia and parts of Europe. People have brought them to Costa Rica and Hawaii, but it’s against the law to bring them to the U.S.

Mongoose Fighting a Cobra Image — Mongooses often attack and eat cobra snakes

Fun Facts about Mongooses for Kids

Mongooses are small, no larger than a cat.
Some mongooses have banded fur.
Mongooses often live in packs. One member of the pack stands guard. It whistles or cries to alert the other mongooses of trouble. The pack hides underground until it’s safe to come out.
Mongooses are good moms. The babies are born in a den and stay there for a few weeks. When the babies come out, all the mongooses help care for them. It’s like a big mongoose daycare!
A baby mongoose is called a pub. A number of babies is called a litter.
A group of mongooses is known by different names: Gang – Pack – Mob – Troop.