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Animal profile

Indian Grey Mongoose

Urva edwardsii

MammaliaOpen scrub, cultivated land, grassland and the edges of villages and townsLeast Concern

Field profile

The Indian grey mongoose is a common, adaptable carnivoran of South Asia, familiar from its reputation for killing cobras. It eats rodents, birds, reptiles, eggs and invertebrates and lives readily alongside people. Its resistance to snake venom is real but frequently exaggerated.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-10-29

Indian Grey Mongoose

The mongoose resists cobra venom but is not immune

Mongooses carry a mutation in the receptor that cobra venom targets, blunting its effect. Resistance is partial, not immunity, and in a real fight the animal wins chiefly through speed, thick fur and avoiding being bitten at all.

Read with evidence →

Indian Grey Mongoose | Daily Animal Facts