Small Indian Mongoose

The Javan mongoose's fur is ferruginous to sepia and rich tawny brown on the back. It has short hairs on the ears. Its tail is tapering.

The Javan mongoose is native to Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Peninsular Malaysia and the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java, where it lives up to an elevation of 1,800 m (5,900 ft). Its presence is uncertain in China. In Thailand, the Javan mongoose was photographed by camera traps in a variety of habitats, including degraded mixed deciduous forest, dry evergreen and dry dipterocarp forests, as well as in abandoned plantations and pineapple fields.

Invasive species. In Europe, this species has been included since 2016 in the list of invasive alien species of Union concern. This means that this species cannot be imported, bred, transported, commercialized, or intentionally released into the environment in the whole of the European Union.

The Javan mongoose is mostly solitary; males sometimes form social groups and share burrows. Females are pregnant for up to 49 days and give birth to a litter of 2–5 young. Males can potentially become sexually mature at the age of 4 months. Javan mongooses eat mostly insects but are opportunistic feeders and will eat crabs, frogs, spiders, scorpions, snakes, small mammals, birds, and eggs.