Ichneumia albicauda
Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The white-tailed mongoose (Ichneumia albicauda) is a species in the mongoose family Herpestidae. It is the only member of the genus Ichneumia. Herpestes albicaudus was the scientific name proposed by Georges Cuvier in 1829 for a mongoose specimen with a white tail from Senegal. The genus name Ichneumia was coined by Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1837.
The white-tailed mongoose attains a weight range of 1.8 to 5.2 kg (4.0 to 11.5 lb), with an average of approximately 3.38 kg (7.5 lb), has a head-and-body length of 53 to 71 cm (21 to 28 in) and a tail length of 40 to 47 cm (16 to 19 in). On average it appears to be the longest and heaviest extant species of mongoose, although its linear and body mass parameters broadly overlap with other larger mongoose species, in particular, the marsh mongoose seems to most closely rival (and possibly match) in range of body masses reported if not average weight. Its legs are relatively long for a mongoose. The head is long and narrow. Its large, rounded ears are set low on the sides of the head. It has a yellow to tan coloration on its body, with long black guard hairs, giving it an overall grizzled grey appearance... Wikipedia →
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South Sudan · 2026
© Inge van den Meiracker · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Congo - Kinshasa · 2017
© Mathias D'haen · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Kenya · 2025
© Simon Musila · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 2 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 3 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 5 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
No species of the same family or order lives in Nairobi, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-tailed Mongoose sighting in Nairobi on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 8th most-seen of the 11 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a White-tailed Mongoose in Nairobi on a given day, against under 5% in February, May–June, September–October and December, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-tailed Mongoose sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate White-tailed Mongoose sightings, Nairobi has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Durban (South Africa, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-tailed Mongoose is recorded against all the mammals logged in Nairobi (8 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.
