Mungos mungo Shoulder height 20cm. Weight around 1kg.
The banded mongoose is probably the most commonly observed member of a group of small, slender, terrestrial carnivores. Uniform dark grey-brown except for a dozen black stripes across its back, it is a diurnal mongoose occurring in playful family groups, or troops, in most habitats throughout northern and northwestern Botswana. It feeds on insects, scorpions, amphibians, reptiles and even carrion and bird's eggs, and can move through the bush at quite a pace.

Similar species
Another six or so mongoose species occur in Botswana. Some are social and gather in troops; others are solitary. Several are too scarce and nocturnal to be seen by most visitors.

The water or marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus) is large, normally solitary and has a very scruffy brown coat; it's widespread in the Chobe, Kwando-Linyanti and Okavango regions.

The white-tailed mongoose (Ichneumia albicauda), or white-tailed ichneumon, is a solitary, large brown mongoose with long, coarse, woolly hair. It is nocturnal and easily identified by its bushy white tail if seen crossing roads at night. It has a similar distribution, where it can also be found in a few cattle-ranching areas, where it eats the beetle-grubs found in manure.

The slender mongoose (Galerella sanguinea) is also widespread throughout Botswana where there is lots of cover for it. It, too, is solitary, but it is very much smaller (shoulder height 10cm) and has a uniform brown or reddish coat and blackish tail tip. Its tail is held up when it runs.

The large grey mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), also called the Egyptian mongoose, is a large mongoose with coarse, grey-speckled body hair, black lower legs and feet, and a black tip to its tail. It's found in the same northern areas of Botswana, but is common nowhere. It is generally diurnal and is either solitary, or lives in pairs. Large grey mongooses eat small rodents, reptiles, birds and also snakes – generally killing rather than scavenging.

Selous's mongoose (Paracynictis selousi) is smaller, with fine, speckled grey fur, and a white tip at the end of its tail. It likes open country and woodlands, occurring in many areas of northern and the further eastern areas of Botswana. It is nocturnal and solitary, eating mainly insects, grubs, small reptiles and amphibians – it seems especially fond of the larvae of dung beetles, and so is sometime found in cattle country.

The yellow mongoose (Cynitis penicillata) is a small, sociable mongoose with a tawny or yellow coat, and is commonly found across most of Botswana – even in the drier areas of the central Kalahari. It normally forages alone and is easily identified by the white tip on the end of its tail.

Finally, the dwarf mongoose (Helogate parvula) is a diminutive (shoulder height 7cm), highly sociable light brown mongoose often seen in the vicinity of the termite mounds where it nests. This is Africa's smallest carnivore, occurring in a higher density than any other, it is widespread throughout the Chobe, Kwando-Linyanti and Okavango areas and often seen. Groups of 20–30 are not unknown, consisting of a breeding pair and subordinate others. These inquisitive little animals can be very entertaining to watch.