CreatureData

Black-footed mongoose

Bdeogale nigripes Pucheran, 1855

LCLeast Concernmammals

The black-footed mongoose (Bdeogale nigripes) is a species in the family Herpestidae, order Carnivora. Recorded adults weigh 2.31 kg to 2.5 kg and live up to 15.8 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Black-footed mongoose (Bdeogale nigripes)
Photo: MNHN - Laura Flamme - 2014 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the black-footed mongoose

Weight
2.31 kg – 2.5 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
15.8 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
15.8 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the black-footed mongoose live?

Not recorded

What is the black-footed mongoose?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The black-footed mongoose (Bdeogale nigripes), also called the black-legged mongoose, is a mongoose species native to Central Africa, where it inhabits deep deciduous forests from eastern Nigeria to the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2008.

It is omnivorous and feeds on ants, termites, Orthoptera, small rodents, frogs, lizards and fruits.

It is mostly solitary and nocturnal.

Results of genetic and morphological analyses indicate that the black-footed mongoose is closely related to Jackson's mongoose, which is considered conspecific.

From the Wikipedia article “Black-footed mongoose” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black-footed_mongoose&oldid=1375903426), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the black-footed mongoose endangered?

The black-footed mongoose is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the black-footed mongoose classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderCarnivora
  5. familyHerpestidae
  6. genusBdeogale
  7. SpeciesBdeogale nigripes Pucheran, 1855
Other names and names in other languages (20)
  • Black-footed MogooseEnglish
  • Black-footed MogooseEnglish
  • Black-legged mongooseEnglish
  • Black-legged mongooseEnglish
  • نمس أسود القدمينArabic
  • mangusta černonoháCzech
  • SchwarzfußmangusteGerman
  • SchwarzfussichneumonGerman
  • Mangosta CalzadaSpanish
  • Mangosta de patas negrasSpanish
  • mustajalkamangustiFinnish
  • Mangouste à pattes noiresFrench
  • Mangusta dai piedi neriItalian
  • クロアシマングースJapanese
  • SvartfotmungoNorwegian Bokmål
  • WarczPolish
  • Warcz czarnołapyPolish
  • Manguço‑de‑pés‑pretosPortuguese
  • Черноногий мангустRussian
  • 黑腿臭獴Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the black-footed mongoose

Other species in the same genus Bdeogale.

CompareBlack-footed mongoose vs Bushy-tailed mongooseBlack-footed mongoose vs Jackson's mongoose

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the black-footed mongoose?

An adult black-footed mongoose weighs 2.31 kg – 2.5 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the black-footed mongoose endangered?

The black-footed mongoose is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the black-footed mongoose live?

The black-footed mongoose has a recorded lifespan of 15.8 years.

What kind of animal is the black-footed mongoose?

The black-footed mongoose (Bdeogale nigripes) belongs to the family Herpestidae in the order Carnivora.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Black-footed mongoose (Bdeogale nigripes). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-footed-mongoose

MLA

“Black-footed mongoose (Bdeogale nigripes).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-footed-mongoose.

BibTeX
@misc{black_footed_mongoose_2026,
  title = {Black-footed mongoose (Bdeogale nigripes)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-footed-mongoose},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}