The Indian grey mongoose (Urva edwardsii)
– made famous as Rikki-tikki-tavi in Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Books – or Asian grey mongoose is a mongoose species native to the Indian subcontinent and West Asia. Mongooses are noted for their audacious attacks on highly venomous snakes such as king cobras – they rely on speed and agility, darting at the head of the snake and cracking the skull with a powerful bite. Mongooses are bitten occasionally but possess a glycoprotein that binds to proteins in snake venom, deactivating them and making them harmless. The grey mongoose also preys on small mammals and insects and its diet also includes carrion, birds, reptiles, amphibians, wild fruits and even garbage.
See also: Ruddy (Black tailed) mongoose