- English: Egyptian mongoose or Ichneumon
- Scientific: Herpestes ichneumon
- Spanish: Meloncillo
- French: Mangouste ichneumon
- German: Ichneumon
- Portugese: Sacarrabos, Saca-rabos, Icnêumone, Rato-de-faraó, Rato-do-egipto, Manguço, Escalavardo
The Egyptian mongoose – Herpestes ichneumon – Meloncillo is also known as the ichneumon and although it is thought to be introduced to the Iberian Peninsula its been here long enough, I think, to be called a native.
Found along the coastal regions of the Mediterranean between North Africa and Turkey and Africa, there are several hypotheses to explain the occurrence of the Egyptian mongoose in Iberia.
- TraditionalIy, it was thought to have been introduced following the Muslim invasion in the 8th century.
- Bones of Egyptian mongoose excavated in Spain were then radiocarbon dated to the first century leading to the theory that an introduction during the Roman Hispania era ocurred.
- Other authors have proposed a natural colonisation of the Iberian Peninsula during the Pleistocene across a land bridge when sea levels were lower between Iberia and the nearby African land mass
With the last point in mind many authors consider the entire Iberian peninsular to be populated by the subspecies Herpestes ichneumon widdringtonii. It is distinguished from the populations in North Africa due to its somewhat larger size, darker color and much larger teeth
The legend of the giant hairy serpent
For many years legends and rumors floated around in many areas of Spain about a “hairy snake like monster” (el serpiente peluda). Stories to frighten children before bedtime, I would think, but actually based on real sightings of real animals?
In the summer of 2021 I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time (without a camera sadly he sighs!) to witness a family of Egyptian mongooses crossing a road. Head to tail they went in size order with the male presumably first, then the female and 5 youngsters following. I could easily understand that in bad light and weather this blur of low moving fur, teeth and tail could produce such legends of marshland monsters!
The following video (in Spanish) is well worth watching to see the Egyptian mongoose – Herpestes ichneumon – Meloncillo in action. (The footage of the scared hunter is really funny when he thinks he has seen the serpiente peluda!)
Egyptian mongoose are opportunistic predators, feeding on small vertebrates including rodents, birds, reptiles, frogs and various invertebrates such as insects, snails, crabs, and worms. They also eat plant matter such as fruits and tubers.
In many areas the easy meal of a chicken or domestic rabbit is also on the menu and I feel that the Iberian fox very often gets the blame for the work of a hungry mongoose.
Further reading
Have a look at the cultural references on the wikipedia entry for the Egyptian mongoose – Herpestes ichneumon – Meloncillo…. it is quite interesting…. A Mongoose on a lead? 🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_mongoose
See the main mammals page for Spain here.
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I was interested to read that Spanish animals belong to the subspecies Herpestes ichneumon widdringtonii. Presumably, it was named after the author of “Sketches in Spain” (1834), and “Spain and the Spaniards in 1843” (1844). When the first was published, he was known as S E Cook but by the time the second book appeared he’d changed his surname to “Widdrington” as a condition of inheriting property from his mother. His 1834 book was the first to publish an account of Iberian (Azure-winged) Magpie which consequently is named after him – Cyanopica cooki. I wonder if anyone else has had a species/subspecies named for them under two different surnames!
As always John, a great mine of information you have! That’s a fascinating observation—and quite a rare biographical twist in taxonomic history! Samuel Edward Cook/Widdrington is indeed a standout figure in 19th-century natural history, and your point raises a compelling question about the dual-name legacy in species nomenclature.
You’re absolutely right about:
Herpestes ichneumon widdringtonii, a subspecies of Egyptian mongoose found in the Iberian Peninsula.
Cyanopica cooki, the Iberian magpie, described in part based on his early accounts in Sketches in Spain (1834).
The fact that widdringtonii and cooki both commemorate the same person under different surnames—due to a legal name change tied to inheritance—is genuinely rare in zoological nomenclature.
While there are examples of species named after individuals with changing titles (e.g. aristocratic titles or Latinized names), having two different scientific epithets reflect both surnames of the same person is extraordinarily uncommon, possibly unique.
If any other naturalist has achieved this curious dual-surname honor, it would likely require a lot of investigation through 19th-century taxonomic history and etymologies. Widdrington’s case is especially well-documented because of his literary and naturalist legacy tied to Spain.