Mongoose

Mongoose

Herpestes javanicus

Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

24 Verified sightings at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park From 2019 to 2026
58 In all 3 parks
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Mongoose

The Javan mongoose (Urva javanica) is a mongoose species native to Southeast Asia. Ichneumon javanicus was the scientific name proposed by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1818. It was later classified in the genus Herpestes, but all Asian mongooses are now thought to belong in the genus Urva.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, several zoological specimens were described, which are now considered subspecies: Herpestes exilis by Paul Gervais in 1841 was a specimen from Tourane in Vietnam. Herpestes rafflesii by John Anderson in 1875 was a specimen from Sumatra.

Mungos rubifrons by Joel Asaph Allen in 1909 were eight adult specimens collected around Wuzhi Mountain in Hainan Island, China. Mungos exilis peninsulae by Ernst Schwarz in 1910 was a skin and a skull of a mongoose collected in Bangkok.

Mungos siamensis by Cecil Boden Kloss in 1917 was a skin of an adult female mongoose collected in northern Thailand. Mungos parakensis by Kloss in 1917 was a skin and a skull of an adult female mongoose from the vicinity of Taiping, Perak in Peninsular Malaysia.

Herpestes javanicus tjerapai by Henri Jacob Victor Sody in 1949 was an adult male mongoose collected in Aceh Province,...

Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Haleakala National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
2 Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
3 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Dhaka 🇧🇩 Bangladesh
~40%
2 Lucknow 🇮🇳 India
~40%
3 New Delhi 🇮🇳 India
~30%
4 Agra 🇮🇳 India
~20%
5 Kolkata 🇮🇳 India
~20%
6 Prayagraj 🇮🇳 India
~10%
7 Jakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Kolmården Wildlife Park 🇸🇪 Sweden In captivity
2 Allwetterzoo Münster 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
3 Münster Zoo 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
4 Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens 🇻🇳 Vietnam In captivity
5 Guadeloupe zoo 🇫🇷 France In captivity
6 Millets Wildside Falconry and Wildlife Centre 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Mongoose in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Mongoose sighting in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Mongoose in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park?

February–March, June and November

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Mongoose in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August and September, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Mongoose?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most 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.

Is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park the best place to see a Mongoose?

2nd of 3

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Mongoose sightings, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Haleakala National Park (United States, about 40%).

Where does the Mongoose sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Mongoose is recorded against all the mammals logged in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (24 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.

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