Mongoose: The Story Of An Unlikely Predator | Our World

A cobra's venom can kill a man in minutes, yet a pack of banded mongooses will mob one with confidence. The Martial eagle can easily kill a single mongoose but it often confounded by a team. Uniting as one is the banded mongooses' greatest strength. Wilderness Warriors follows the fortunes of one pack of banded mongooses out in the Musiara Marsh in Kenya's Maasai Mara. The group is lead by a dominant female who has a close relationship with the top male. She is usually one of the first to emerge every morning and she will decide when they will head off and where they'll go. The marsh is a favoured hunting ground and snails are a favourite food. The mongooses can't crack the shells with their teeth but they are inventive tool users and smash the shells against rocks. Crocodile eggs are broken in the same way, hairy caterpillars are rubbed in the sand to get rid of the irritating bristles and snakes are tackled co-operatively. The birth of babies is cause for great excitement. All the adults take turns babysitting, even the males do their fair share. When the babies are threatened by a huge monitor lizard, the guards raise the alarm. When a martial attacks the whole group rushes to the rescue but when a pride of lions appear, they all hide in a hollow log. Sometimes it is better to dash for cover than make a stand. But the most serious threat to the pack is a neighbouring group of banded mongooses. When a raiding party discovers the Musiara pack's nursery den, the situation is serious. If the aliens can get inside the den, they will kill the babies and steal any females. The babysitters valiantly fight them off but they are outnumbered. Fortunately the rest of the group return in the nick of time. A battle ensues but with babies at stake, the home team is more determined. United, these brave warriors are a match for all creatures great and small. Together they are a force to be reckoned with out in the African wilderness.

This film was first broadcast: 13 Feb 1997

Watch More Documentaries

Explore Our World and watch some of the most successful nature documentary series about the environment and the wonders and dangers nature has to offer. We will be posting some of the longest-running and most successful nature documentary series, revealing the trials and tribulations of life on Earth and often for the first time, the secrets of the natural world in all its wonder.

Content distributed by ITV Studios.

[rodericko]

The unity and courage n readiness to launch into battle In the defense of its own.. fearlessly is absolutely admirable n inspiring..

[AnimalBoomBoom-vn]

Hope everyone is always happy and happy ✨✨✨

[Rocio]

This small mongoose deserve all our respect for their increidible unity between the clan that each member take care to the babies and the leader mom as well. 🐿🐿🐿🐿 We need to learn a lot from these creatures. Thanks for sharing.

[poranimalfights]

The sounds of wild animals, from birdsong to the roar of a lion, are the music of the natural world.

[Jayson_Tatum]

The mongoose needs to get signed as an NFL starting Center yesterday.

[GatCat]

My Dad recently passed away, but we always appreciated animals. Especially the unassuming fierce ones, defending the earth from poisonous snakes. Lol. He’d get such a kick out of these little guys dancing with dangerous reptiles, seemingly playing. Precise, intuitive, intentional, surgical. Love you Dad. :)

[deepnation]

This was great and heart warming. Mongooses are awesome. I also have to give a lot of love to the martial eagle. What a magnificent creature.

[JoJo-dvrz]

I can just imagine them shouting "hey we're over here!" to the group that got lost lol 😂

[kariukisolomon]

Maasai Mara ecosystem is amazing I've done several visits there....

[black_eagle]

All for one, one for all. Incredible little animals, very intelligent and brave.

[Hope-Man]

So interesting video. I love to see it ❤❤❤

[shushua.C]

It's fascinating how this creature can be both incredibly cute and perilous simultaneously.

[digitalcyber]

Thank you for advertising Kenya in this documentary

[lalahaha]

At 20:20, the baboon mimics the mongoose noise! At 21:35, I think the elephant was warning the mongoose to stay in their nest so he wouldn't trample on them and hurt them by accident. This was one of the best documentaries on nature I've seen!

[KatherineUribe-]

I love the banded mongoose! They are so sweet, and yet are fierce predators. Africa is amazing!

[patrickwambua]

Brilliant docu about a fierce little creature that's so organized it's hard to take down

[robertgrant]

The mongoose gang, you touched one of us, u touched all of us, human doesn’t have this kind of unity

[paulthefirsttime]

An epic film of bravery by the Banded Mongoose’s, great to see them work as a team against the odds. Amazing Survival Special episode.

[asullivan]

Excellent photography job enabling viewers to better understand what the orator was describing. Special thanks to veteran photographers making this documentary more authentic and possible.

[RP-mslu]

Cobra thinks he can intimidate all animals but mongoose kills them without fear 😊