Herpestes ichneumon
Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), also known as ichneumon, is a mongoose species native to the tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands of Africa and around the Mediterranean Basin in North Africa, the Middle East and the Iberian Peninsula. Whether it is introduced or native to the Iberian Peninsula is in some doubt. Because of its widespread occurrence, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
The Egyptian mongoose's long, coarse fur is grey to reddish brown and ticked with brown and yellow flecks. Its snout is pointed, its ears are small. Its slender body is 48–60 cm (1 ft 7 in – 2 ft 0 in) long with a 33–54 cm (1 ft 1 in – 1 ft 9 in) long black tipped tail. Its hind feet and a small area around the eyes are furless. It has 35–40 teeth, with highly developed carnassials, used for shearing meat. It weighs 1.7–4 kg (3.7–8.8 lb).
Sexually dimorphic Egyptian mongooses were observed in Portugal, where some females are smaller than males. Female Egyptian mongooses have 44 chromosomes, and males 43, as one Y chromosome is translocated to an autosome.
The Egyptian mongoose lives in swampy and... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friguia Park | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | |
| 2 | Terra Natura Murcia | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Valencia Bioparc | 🇪🇸 Spain |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Egyptian Mongoose sighting in Doñana National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 9th most-seen of the 9 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Egyptian Mongoose in Doñana National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–June, August, October and December–February, the lowest months. That is one of Doñana National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 90 mm in October.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Egyptian Mongoose sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Egyptian Mongoose sightings, Doñana National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Monfragüe National Park (Spain, about 10%) and Amboseli National Park (Kenya, about 10%).
Same order: Carnivora
The closest relatives of the Egyptian Mongoose that you can see in Doñana National Park (order Carnivora, Carnivorans) are Iberian Lynx (about 30%), Red Fox (about 20%) and European Badger (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Egyptian Mongoose is recorded against all the mammals logged in Doñana National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
