Small Asian Mongoose

Description:

Small brown mammal.

Habitat:

Suburban neighborhood on a tropical upland plateau.

Notes:

Spotted in my backyard. It fled as soon as it noticed me, so I only got a blurry, high-contrast picture of its hindquarters, giving a new meaning to the expression "parting shot". Mongooses are plentiful in Hawaii, and widespread, but are very cautious. They do not "hang around" when humans are present. Many years ago, I was told that (1) mongooses were introduced into Hawaii to control rats and (2) the plan failed because mongooses are active in daylight (are diurnal) and rats are nocturnal. "Ne'er the twain shall meet" . . . "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions" . . . Whatever the history, the Small Asian Mongoose is an invasive species in Hawaii.