It is hard to guess what a Grandidier’s mongoose weights. But we have the answer:
An adult Grandidier’s mongoose (Galidictis grandidieri) on average weights 1.4 kg (3.09 lbs).
The Grandidier’s mongoose is from the family Herpestidae (genus: Galidictis). When reaching adult age, they grow up to 35.9 cm (1′ 3″). On average, Grandidier’s mongooses can have babies 1 times per year with a litter size of 1.
As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.
Grandidier’s mongoose (Galidictis grandidieri), also known as the giant-striped mongoose or Grandidier’s vontsira, is a small carnivoran that lives only in a very small area of southwestern Madagascar, in areas of spiny forest vegetation. It is pale brown or grayish coloured, with eight wide, dark stripes on its back and sides. Grandidier’s mongoose is larger than the related broad-striped Malagasy mongoose, G. fasciata, and its stripes are not as wide. The species is named after Alfred Grandidier.This species has been called one of the rarest carnivorans in the world. With a few exceptions, the majority of records of G. grandidieri come from a narrow zone at the western edge of the Mahafaly Plateau in the Parc National de Tsimanampetsotsa, making it the Madagascan carnivore with the smallest range.Nocturnal and crepuscular, this species lives in pairs which produce one offspring a year, in the summer. They hunt primarily by searching through ground litter and in rock crevices. The diet of Grandidier’s mongoose varies markedly between the dry and wet seasons. Whereas food consists mainly of invertebrates throughout the year, small vertebrates are the most important food by biomass, comprising 58% during the dry season and 80% during the wet season. Grandidier’s mongoose weighs 1.1 to 1.3 lb (500 to 600 g).The species is sympatric with two other carnivores, the fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) and the introduced Indian civet (Viverricula indica). However, there seems to be virtually no range or dietary overlap between these animals and Grandidier’s mongoose. From sub-fossil evidence, it is clear that the region underwent drastic climatic change during the last 3000–2000 years. It is presumed that the distribution of this mongoose was notably broader and the proportion of prey types different in earlier times than today. Grandidier’s mongoose must have adapted to dryer conditions, which have resulted in its very limited distribution and the exploitation of notably small prey.The animals can be vocal, with a cooing mew, and are described as sociable and playful.
Animals of the same family as a Grandidier’s mongoose
We found other animals of the Herpestidae family:
- Bushy-tailed mongoose bringing 1.72 kilos (3.79 lbs) to the scale
- Black-footed mongoose bringing 2.62 kilos (5.78 lbs) to the scale
- Bengal mongoose with a weight of 741 grams
- Indian grey mongoose bringing 1.31 kilos (2.89 lbs) to the scale
- Crab-eating mongoose bringing 2.38 kilos (5.25 lbs) to the scale
- Cape gray mongoose with a weight of 791 grams
- Javan mongoose with a weight of 758 grams
- Angolan slender mongoose with a weight of 750 grams
- Ring-tailed vontsira with a weight of 815 grams
- Long-nosed mongoose bringing 3 kilos (6.61 lbs) to the scale
Animals with the same weight as a Grandidier’s mongoose
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Galidictis grandidieri:
- Banded palm civet with a weight of 1.27 kilos (2.8 lbs)
- Rufous hare-wallaby with a weight of 1.41 kilos (3.11 lbs)
- Indian grey mongoose with a weight of 1.31 kilos (2.89 lbs)
- Servaline genet with a weight of 1.24 kilos (2.73 lbs)
- Northern brushtail possum with a weight of 1.55 kilos (3.42 lbs)
- Grizzled giant squirrel with a weight of 1.33 kilos (2.93 lbs)
- Haussa genet with a weight of 1.4 kilos (3.09 lbs)
- Chacoan mara with a weight of 1.61 kilos (3.55 lbs)
- Philippine flying lemur with a weight of 1.25 kilos (2.76 lbs)
- Beech marten with a weight of 1.67 kilos (3.68 lbs)
Animals with the same size as a Grandidier’s mongoose
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Grandidier’s mongoose:
- Humboldt’s white-fronted capuchin with a size of 38.4 cm (1′ 4″)
- Indian grey mongoose with a size of 39.8 cm (1′ 4″)
- Potto with a size of 32 cm (1′ 1″)
- Coppery ringtail possum with a size of 37.8 cm (1′ 3″)
- Tufted ground squirrel with a size of 40.6 cm (1′ 4″)
- Indonesian mountain weasel with a size of 30.9 cm (1′ 1″)
- Podogymnura truei with a size of 31.3 cm (1′ 1″)
- Ring-tailed lemur with a size of 42.5 cm (1′ 5″)
- Gambian mongoose with a size of 35 cm (1′ 2″)
- Indian grey mongoose with a size of 40 cm (1′ 4″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Grandidier’s mongoose
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (1) as a Grandidier’s mongoose: