Herpestes edwardsi
Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% 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 |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Gray Mongoose sighting in Gir National Park on a given day, based on 6 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 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Gray Mongoose in Gir National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February–March, May–June and October–November, the lowest months. That is one of Gir National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 330 mm in July. July to September have too few records to rate.
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 9 parks where we can rate Indian Gray Mongoose sightings, Gir National Park ranks 2nd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Mudumalai National Park (India, about 40%).
Same order: Carnivora
The closest relatives of the Indian Gray Mongoose that you can see in Gir National Park (order Carnivora, Carnivorans) are Lion (about 80%), Asian Jackal (about 60%) and Leopard (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Indian Gray Mongoose is recorded against all the mammals logged in Gir National Park (6 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.
