CreatureData

Water mongoose

Urva brachyura (Gray, 1837)

NTNear Threatenedmammals

The water mongoose (Urva brachyura) is a species in the family Herpestidae, order Carnivora. Recorded adults weigh 1.4 kg to 1.85 kg and live up to 8.9 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Near Threatened.

Water mongoose (Urva brachyura)
Photo: Waterhouse Hawkins · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the water mongoose

Weight
1.4 kg – 1.85 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
8.9 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Carnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
3.49src for Young per litter or clutch
Active
Day and night (cathemeral)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the water mongoose live?

Not recorded

Is the water mongoose endangered?

The water mongoose is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.

  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 Near Threatened species. What the categories mean.

How is the water mongoose classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderCarnivora
  5. familyHerpestidae
  6. genusUrva
  7. SpeciesUrva brachyura (Gray, 1837)

Synonyms Herpestes brachyurus, Herpestes brachyurus hosei, Herpestes brachyurus javanensis, Herpestes brachyurus sumatrius, Herpestes hosei

Other names and names in other languages (16)
  • Short-tailed mongooseEnglish
  • نمس الماءArabic
  • نمس قصير الذيلArabic
  • KurzschwanzmangusteGerman
  • Meloncillo ColicortoSpanish
  • lyhythäntämungoFinnish
  • Mangouste à queue courteFrench
  • Garangan CerpelaiIndonesian
  • チビオマングースJapanese
  • 짧은꼬리몽구스Korean
  • Bambun Ekor PendekMalay
  • KorthalemungoNorwegian Bokmål
  • KortstaartmangoesteDutch
  • Mangusta kusaPolish
  • Mangusto-de-cauda-curtaPortuguese
  • Короткохвостый мангустRussian

Catalogue of LifeiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the water mongoose

Other species in the same genus Urva.

CompareWater mongoose vs Indian mongooseWater mongoose vs MongooseWater mongoose vs Gray mongooseWater mongoose vs Collared mongoose

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the water mongoose?

An adult water mongoose weighs 1.4 kg – 1.85 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the water mongoose endangered?

The water mongoose is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is close to qualifying as threatened.

How long does the water mongoose live?

The water mongoose has a recorded lifespan of 8.9 years.

What kind of animal is the water mongoose?

The water mongoose (Urva brachyura) belongs to the family Herpestidae in the order Carnivora.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Water mongoose (Urva brachyura). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/water-mongoose

MLA

“Water mongoose (Urva brachyura).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/water-mongoose.

BibTeX
@misc{water_mongoose_2026,
  title = {Water mongoose (Urva brachyura)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/water-mongoose},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}