Common dwarf mongoose
Helogale parvula (Sundevall, 1847)
The common dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula) is a species in the family Herpestidae, order Carnivora. Recorded adults weigh 274.8 g to 455 g and live up to 14.4 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the common dwarf mongoose
- Weight
- 274.8 g – 455 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 14.4 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 18 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Gestation
- 50 days – 54.8 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 3.19src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 13.9 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 2.25src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- By day (diurnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the common dwarf mongoose live?
Not recorded
What is the common dwarf mongoose?
The common dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula) is a mongoose species native to Angola, northern Botswana, northern Namibia, KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, Zambia and East Africa. It is part of the genus Helogale, along with the Ethiopian dwarf mongoose.
From the Wikipedia article “Common dwarf mongoose” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_dwarf_mongoose&oldid=1380728885), 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 common dwarf mongoose endangered?
The common dwarf mongoose is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the common dwarf mongoose classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderCarnivora
- familyHerpestidae
- genusHelogale
- SpeciesHelogale parvula (Sundevall, 1847)
Synonyms Herpestes parvulus
Other names and names in other languages (28)
- Dwarf mongooseEnglish
- Dwarf mongooseEnglish
- DwergmuishondAfrikaans
- نمس قزم شائعArabic
- mangusta jižníCzech
- DværgmangustDanish
- ZwergmangusteGerman
- Südliche ZwergmangusteGerman
- ZwergichneumonGerman
- Κοινή ΝανομανγκούσταGreek
- Mangosta enanaSpanish
- pikkumangustiFinnish
- Mangouste naineFrench
- Mangusta NanaItalian
- コビトマングースJapanese
- DvergmungoNorwegian Bokmål
- DwergmangoesteDutch
- Mangusteczka karłowataPolish
- Mangusto-anãoPortuguese
- Карликовый мангустRussian
- Карликовые мангустыRussian
- พังพอนแคระThai
- พังพอนแคระธรรมดาThai
- SweketeTswana
- leSweketeTswana
- Мангуст карликовийUkrainian
- 侏獴Chinese
- 侏儒獴Chinese
Relatives of the common dwarf mongoose
Other species in the same genus Helogale.
Ethiopian dwarf mongoose
Helogale hirtula
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the common dwarf mongoose?
An adult common dwarf mongoose weighs 274.8 g – 455 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the common dwarf mongoose endangered?
The common dwarf mongoose is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the common dwarf mongoose live?
The common dwarf mongoose has a recorded lifespan of 14.4 years.
How long is the common dwarf mongoose pregnant?
The recorded gestation period is 50 days – 54.8 days.
What kind of animal is the common dwarf mongoose?
The common dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula) 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.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Common dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-dwarf-mongoose
“Common dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-dwarf-mongoose.
@misc{common_dwarf_mongoose_2026,
title = {Common dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-dwarf-mongoose},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}