Herpestidae Bonaparte 1845

Family HERPESTIDAE (MONGOOSES) • Smallsized mammals with relatively uniform morphology characterized by a long face and body, short legs, small rounded ears, and long, tapering bushy tails. • 34 -151 cm. • Old World tropics throughout Asia and Africa, also Middle East and southern Europe. • Found in habitats ranging from open areas, such as deserts, savannah, and grasslands, to closed forest, over a wide elevation range, from lowlands to montane areas. • 15 genera, 34 species, at least 84 extant taxa. • 2 species Vulnerable; none Extinct since 1600.Published as part of Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Herpestidae, pp. 262-328 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 262, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.567663