Small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) is smaller in size compared to other mongooses and is found in the
Himalayas up to an altitude of 2300 m, from
Jammu and Kashmir to Bhutan.
The tail always shorter than the head and body and is two-third of its length. The coat is short, soft and silky, and its color varies seasonally and individually. The contour-hair has five rings of which two are pale. Legs have the same color as the body, with the paws often paler. Head-body length is approximately 250 to 410 mm and tail is around 236 to 253 mm.
Small Indian mongoose is diurnal, lives in burrows, feeding on a wide variety of small vertebrates and large invertebrates. Females are polyestrous, breeding throughout the year. The maximum life span is nine years and eight months.
