Description
English: A Ruddy mongoose from Daroji wildlife sanctuary in Karnataka, India
Date 5 January 2009
Author Kalyanvarma
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ruddy-mongoose.jpg

The ruddy mongoose (Herpestes smithii) is a species of mongoose found in hill forests of peninsular India and Sri Lanka. This mongoose along with the striped-necked mongoose are the only mongoose species endemic to India and Sri Lanka. The ruddy mongoose is a very closely related to Indian grey mongoose, but distinguished by its slightly larger size and black tipped tail extending for 5 to 8 cm at the distal end. There are two sub-species of this mongoose, H. smithii smithii in India, and H. smithii zeylanicus (Thomas, 1852) in Sri Lanka. Order: Carnivora, Family: Herpestidae, Subfamily: Herpestinae, Species: Herpestes smithii Gray, 1837.