CreatureData

Marsh mongoose

Atilax paludinosus (G. Cuvier, 1829)

LCLeast Concernmammals

The marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus) is a species in the family Herpestidae, order Carnivora. Recorded adults weigh about 3.3 kg and live up to 18.2 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus)
Photo: Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the marsh mongoose

Weight
3.3 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
18.2 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Carnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
20.8 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
69 days – 80 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
2 – 3src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
7.71 months – 8.38 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
2src for Litters or clutches a year
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 marsh mongoose live?

Not recorded

What is the marsh mongoose?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus), also called water mongoose, is a medium-sized mongoose species native to sub-Saharan Africa that inhabits freshwater wetlands. It has been listed as a Least-concern species on the IUCN Red List since 2008.

From the Wikipedia article “Marsh mongoose” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marsh_mongoose&oldid=1368293809), 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 marsh mongoose endangered?

The marsh 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 marsh mongoose classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderCarnivora
  5. familyHerpestidae
  6. genusAtilax
  7. SpeciesAtilax paludinosus (G. Cuvier, 1829)

Synonyms Atilax paludinosus nigerianus, Herpestes paludinosus

Other names and names in other languages (28)
  • Marsh ichneumonEnglish
  • Water mongooseEnglish
  • Water mongooseEnglish
  • WatermuishondAfrikaans
  • KommetjiegatmuishondAfrikaans
  • نمس الهورArabic
  • promyka bažinnáCzech
  • SumpmangustDanish
  • SumpfmangusteGerman
  • Sumpf-MangusteGerman
  • SumpfichneumonGerman
  • Wasser MangusteGerman
  • ΝερομανγκούσταGreek
  • Mangousta de AquaSpanish
  • Mangosta acuática o de los pantanosSpanish
  • suomangustiFinnish
  • Mangouste des maraisFrench
  • Mangusta d'AcquaItalian
  • ヌママングースJapanese
  • CamukengueKimbundu
  • SumpmungoNorwegian Bokmål
  • MoerasmangoesteDutch
  • wanzyr błotnyPolish
  • Mangusto-dos-pântanosPortuguese
  • Водяной мангустRussian
  • TshaganeTswana
  • Мангуст болотянийUkrainian
  • 沼澤獴Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the marsh mongoose

Other species in the same family Herpestidae.

LC, Least Concern
Meerkat (Suricata suricatta)

Meerkat

Suricata suricatta

Herpestidae

CompareMarsh mongoose vs MeerkatMarsh mongoose vs Egyptian mongooseMarsh mongoose vs Banded mongooseMarsh mongoose vs Yellow mongoose

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the marsh mongoose?

An adult marsh mongoose weighs 3.3 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the marsh mongoose endangered?

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

How long does the marsh mongoose live?

The marsh mongoose has a recorded lifespan of 18.2 years.

How long is the marsh mongoose pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 69 days – 80 days.

What kind of animal is the marsh mongoose?

The marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus) 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). Marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/marsh-mongoose

MLA

“Marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/marsh-mongoose.

BibTeX
@misc{marsh_mongoose_2026,
  title = {Marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/marsh-mongoose},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}