A short-legged carnivore with a long body, the Egyptian mongoose often looks like a reptile when seen from a distance, as it moves with a gliding gait, with its head held low and its long tail extended with the tip curled forward. The Egyptian mongoose has a shaggy, grizzled grey coat with bands of dark and pale hair, paler underparts and blackish feet. The sharply-pointed muzzle is black, the ears are small and rounded, and the long, wedge-shaped tail has a conspicuous tuft of black hairs at the tip. The male Egyptian mongoose is significantly larger than the female.