A mongoose is a small, quick mammal famous for its ability to fight venomous snakes. These fearless hunters live in Africa, Asia, and southern Europe, where they use their lightning-fast reflexes to dodge snake strikes and attack with precision. When a mongoose faces a cobra, it moves in a zigzag pattern, wearing the snake down until it can deliver a bite to the head.

Mongooses have thick fur, sharp claws, and powerful jaws. They're surprisingly brave for their size (most are about as big as a house cat), and they'll take on prey much more dangerous than themselves. Besides snakes, they hunt rats, birds, lizards, and insects. In some places, people welcome mongooses because they control pest populations.

You might know mongooses from Rudyard Kipling's story “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,” about a brave mongoose who protects a family from cobras.

One quirky detail: the plural is mongooses, not “mongeese” like you might expect.