The yellow mongoose (Cynictis penicillata), sometimes called the red meerkat, is a member of the mongoose family. It is native to the Southern African countries of South Africa, Botswana, Angola, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. There are in fact, 12 sub-species of yellow mongoose found in Southern Africa. They are listed as animals of “least concern” by the IUCN.

The yellow mongoose is a social animal that inhabits grasslands, savannas, and scrublands, where they live together as a family unit of male, female, and their latest offspring, older adults, and those who have an affiliation with the group. They often share the same burrows as ground squirrels and meerkats. Yellow mongooses are quite territorial, setting boundaries with scent marking. They become extremely vocal when excited, angry, or scared.

They are diurnal, spending days foraging for food but retreat to their burrows at night or if the weather turns bad or if they sense danger. They are omnivores, feeding on a variety of foods, including ants, termites, locusts, birds, frogs, snakes, beetles, nuts, fruits, and seeds. In turn, they are prey for snakes, birds of prey, and jackals.

AT A GLANCE

Name:
Cynictis penicillata

Male Weight:
1 pound

Range:
Southern Africa

Gestation Period:
42-57 days

Life span:
15 years

Hunting Yellow Mongoose

A yellow mongoose weighs approximately one pound!

Size and Appearance

When yellow mongoose hunting in Africa, keep an eye out for a little mammal that is about 20 inches long. Its name which comes from the color of its coat, varies from yellow to gray. It is a short-legged animal with a pointed nose, small ears, and a long furry tail with a white tip on the end. Their feet have long, curved claws for digging, which assists them in foraging for food.

Hunting Methods

Targeting the yellow mongoose on a game hunting adventure is exactly that – an adventure, as it is a case of driving around and looking for your target, and hoping against hopes that you will be lucky enough to spot them! The spot-and-stalk method is used, and once spotted the hunter can continue stalking on foot, allowing for a fair chase and an exhilarating hunting safari!

Challenges and Rewards

The challenge of yellow mongoose hunting in Africa is that these little creatures are actually quite fast! They can run up to 20 mph and have a huge amount of burrows in which they can disappear at the drop of a hat. These burrows have different entrances and exits, so you may never see them again! The reward of this game hunting trophy would be that it is an unusual, specialty trophy which is very difficult firstly to find and secondly to successfully target!

Rifles and Requirements

This game hunting target is extremely small, weighing in at only one pound. A suggestion would be to target the yellow mongoose using either a shotgun with bird-hunting ammunition or even a .22 rimfire rifle.