Howling Mouse-Eater
The Howling Mouse-Eater is a species of small, social mammal in the mongoose family. It, much like its name suggests, preys primarily on small rodents such as mice, gerbils, and gunos. They are known for their loud, low-pitched calls which they make to alert their pack to threats.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Howling Mouse-Eaters have long, slender bodies; small, rounded ears; and vulpine faces. Their slender, pointed tails are notably long, being up to half their total body length. They are also fairly long-limbed, being roughly the same height of a domestic cat.
Perhaps their most notable feature, though, is the coarse, bright blue guard hair that covers their back. The rest of their body is covered in short, brown fur.
Howling Mouse-Eaters tend to have dark blue, dark brown, or black eyes.
Genetics and Reproduction
Howling Mouse-Eaters have a single mating season in the early spring, which gives rise to litters in late spring. Each litter of two to four pups is born in the same den dug by the females of the pack. Pups are traded between mothers freely. The pups are nursed for roughly three weeks before they are weaned. They are further cared for until they fully join the pack or disperse around six months of age.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Most Mouse-Eaters are mesocarnivores and the Howling Mouse-Eater is no exception. The average Howling Mouse-Eater's diet consists of roughly 60% small rodents, 20% insects, 10% berries, and 10% grasses.
Mouse-Eaters like the Howling Mouse-Eater will actively avoid carrion (with the notable exception of the Scavenging Mouse-Eater), and items that mimic the smell of rotting meat are commonly used as deterrents on farms that raise rodents as livestock.
Behaviour
Howling Mouse-Eaters are a social species, and are commonly found in packs of up to fifteen individuals plus any young. They warn their packs of any threats they detect with a long, low-pitched howl.
When two packs of Howling Mouse-Eaters meet, it is common for scuffles to ensue, although these scuffles rarely result in injury and are more typically "shouting matches".
Howling Mouse-Eater by moonflower with NightCafe
Lifespan
12-14 Years
Conservation Status
Mouse-Eaters are common enough to not be of concern
Geographic Distribution
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