Herpestes
| Herpestes Temporal range: Oligocene to present
| |
|---|---|
| Egyptian mongoose | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Herpestidae |
| Subfamily: | Herpestinae |
| Genus: | Herpestes Illiger, 1811 |
| Type species | |
| Mustela ichneumon (Linnaeus, 1758)
| |
| Species | |
|
see table | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Herpestes is a genus within the mongoose family Herpestidae. It is the type genus of the family, and comprises five extant species, each with several subspecies. Several species in the family are known as slender mongooses. Fossil remains of three prehistoric species were excavated in France, and described in 1853.