A mongoose is any of nearly three dozen species of small, bold predatory carnivores found mainly in Africa but also in southern Asia and Southern Europe. Mongooses are noted for their audacious attacks on highly venomous snakes, such as king cobras. Fox mongooses are primarily diurnal and spend most of their day foraging, though sometimes they are active at night. Living in permanent burrows, they often share them with meerkats and ground squirrels, although they can make very complex burrows. Size: head and body: 7 to 25 inches; tail: 6 to 21 inches. Weight: Up to 11 pounds. Mongooses live in burrows and are nondiscriminatory predators, feeding on small animals such as rodents, birds, reptiles, frogs, insects. Some species supplement their diet with fruits, nuts, and seeds. Creative hunters, they are known to break open bird eggs by throwing them with their forepaws toward a solid object.