March 6, 2015 at 3:33 pm

Picture of the Day: Just a Dwarf Mongoose

by twistedsifter

dwarf mongoose Picture of the Day: Just a Dwarf Mongoose

 

In this adorable close up by reddit user Thesharkins78, we see one of the Dwarf mongooses (Helogale parvula) on display at the Small Mammal House at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington D.C.

The Dwarf mongoose is much smaller than most other mongoose species (18 to 28 cm, 210 to 350 grams) and in fact, is Africa’s smallest carnivore. The diet of the dwarf mongoose consists of insects (mainly beetle larvae, termites, grasshoppers and crickets), spiders, scorpions, small lizards, snakes, small birds, and rodents, and is supplemented very occasionally with berries. [source]

 

 

picture of the day button Picture of the Day: Just a Dwarf Mongoose

twistedsifter on facebook Picture of the Day: Just a Dwarf Mongoose