Herpestes edwardsi
Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The Indian grey mongoose or Asian grey mongoose (Urva edwardsii) is a mongoose species native to the Indian subcontinent and West Asia. It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List. The grey mongoose inhabits open forests, scrublands and cultivated fields, often close to human habitation. It lives in burrows, hedgerows and thickets, among groves of trees, and takes shelter under rocks or bushes and even in drains. It is bold and inquisitive but wary, seldom venturing far from cover. It is an excellent climber and usually lives singly or in pairs. Its prey includes rodents, snakes, birds' eggs and hatchlings, lizards and a variety of invertebrates. Along the Chambal River it occasionally feeds on gharial eggs. It breeds throughout the year.
Ichneumon edwardsii was the scientific name proposed by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1817. It was later classified in the genus Herpestes, but all Asian mongooses are now classified in the genus Urva. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Gir National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Udawalawe National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 4 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 6 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 7 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 8 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 9 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Gray Mongoose sighting in Kolkata on a given day, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 7 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Gray Mongoose in Kolkata on a given day, against under 5% in August, the lowest month. That is one of Kolkata's wettest months, with about 330 mm of rain against 10 mm in December.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Indian Gray Mongoose sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Among the best
Of the 13 cities where we can rate Indian Gray Mongoose sightings, Kolkata ranks 3rd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Thiruvananthapuram (India, about 30%) and Chennai (India, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Indian Gray Mongoose is recorded against all the mammals logged in Kolkata (34 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
