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Mongoose Pictures from Wildife Pictures Online, the Net's premier source of affordable wildlife stock photos, wildlife information, resources, and links | |||||||||
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Mongoose Pictures
The mongoose pictures on this page are of two different species - the banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) and dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula).The banded mongoose pictures were all taken while on safari in Botswana's Mashatu Game Reserve, while the photos of the dwarf mongooses were taken in South Africa's Kruger National Park.
Banded mongooses are highly gregarious, living in large packs of 35 or more. During the day they head off in a group, foraging for insects like beetles and crickets.
Mongoose Pictures
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1.Dwarf mongoose, Kruger National Park, South Africa 2.Banded mongoose, Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana 3.Banded mongoose, Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana Row 2: Row 3: Row 4:
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Spread Out
But while scratching and sniffing around, they do spread out, so it's difficult getting pictures of more than one at a time.
During our safari to Botswana, we were fortunate that there was a pack living near our camp in the game reserve. I regularly spotted about six to eight moving about, but was never able to photograph more than one at a time.
They won't allow you too close and this, together with their size (about 55cm or 25", including tail), usually requires a telephoto lens to fill the camera frame.
A telephoto zoom lens in the 70-210mm or 70-300mm range will normally suffice. This will work even better if you're using a digital SLR camera like a Canon Rebel XTi or Nikon D70S/D80 with a built-in "crop factor" as this will increase the size of the subject by 50% to 60%.
The one time they do cluster together is during a "mob attack", when they advance in a writhing pack, heads reared, simultaneously growling and snapping.
This suggests a single, large and relentless adversary and is evidently so impressive that it intimidates foes such as jackals, eagles, and vultures!
Dwarf Mongoose
The dwarf mongoose is the smallest of this family found in Africa with a total length,
including the tail, of around 38cm (15").
These cute little critters, with their pink noses and bright are gregarious and live in holes burrowed in termite mounds, heading off during the day in groups to forage for food.
Dwarf mongooses are also highly co-operative and pack members will help feed any babies by catching and bringing insects back to the den.
In the Kruger Park we were lucky to find some pack members bustling about on top of a termite mound, near the road. But even at this range I had to use my Canon EOS 100-400mm zoom at full zoom to bring them close enough.
To find out more about mongooses or wildlife in general, you can try the search box below:
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Contact Details: Scotch Macaskill, 18 Strawberry Fields, 36 College Rd, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Tel: +27 33 3422811. Privacy: Your privacy is guaranteed. See our Privacy Policy for more. Site updated: July 2009. Copyright © 2002 - 2009 Scotch Macaskill
