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Small Indian Mongoose

Urva auropunctata (formerly Herpestes javanicus or H. auropunctatus)[4]

The small Indian mongoose is a weasel-like predator brought to Hawaii in 1883 to control rats in sugarcane fields; it did little to the rats but now preys on native ground-nesting birds, their eggs and the hatchlings of endangered sea turtles.[1][2]

Group
Wildlife
Order
Carnivora
Family
Herpestidae
US records
1 state
Sources
4 cited
Updated
2026-10-17
Small Indian mongoose, a slender brownish animal with short legs and a long tail, on lava rock
Small Indian mongoose, a slender brownish animal with short legs and a long tail, on lava rock. (c) Lisa Wiencek Gerbec, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Where it lives
  3. Biology
  4. Damage and signs
  5. Health risk
  6. Control
  7. Related profiles
  8. Common questions
  9. Sources

How to identify it

  • Mongooses are weasel-like, about 2 feet (26 inches) long including the tail, with a long brownish body, short legs, a tail about as long as the body, small rounded ears and a pointed nose.[1][2]
  • Unlike rats, they are active in the daytime and sleep in dens at night.[1][2]

Where it lives

Widespread on Hawaii Island, Oahu, Maui and Molokai, with no known established populations on Lanai or Kauai; on Kauai, single animals arriving with cargo have been trapped near Nawiliwili Harbor and Lihue Airport in 2012, 2016, 2021 and 2023.[1][3][2]

US map: public records from 1 state since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Females can breed from about 10 months of age and have two or three litters of about three pups a year.[2]

They live in wet and dry places alike, including gardens, grasslands and forests.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Mongooses eat birds, small mammals, reptiles, insects, fruits and plants; the eggs and hatchlings of ground-nesting seabirds and waterbirds such as the nene, and of endangered sea turtles, are especially at risk.[1][2]
  • They kill birds, including 8 federally listed endangered Hawaiian species such as the Hawaiian crow, Hawaiian petrel and nene.[1]

Health risk

The Kauai Invasive Species Committee describes mongooses as vectors of disease as well as predators.[2]

Control

Prevention

On Kauai and Lanai, report any mongoose sighting right away to the state pest hotline, 808-643-7378 (643-PEST), or at 643pest.org; on the islands where mongooses are established, routine sightings don't need to be reported.[1][3]

When to call a professional

On Kauai, rapid-response teams from the invasive species committee and the Department of Health catch arriving mongooses with live traps; 43 traps were set around Nawiliwili Harbor for the 2023 capture.[3][2]

Common questions

Should I report a mongoose in Hawaii?
Yes on Kauai or Lanai, where they aren't established: call 643-PEST. On Hawaii Island, Oahu, Maui and Molokai, sightings don't need to be reported.[1]
Why are there mongooses in Hawaii?
The sugar industry brought them in 1883 to control rats in cane fields, but mongooses are active by day while rats are mostly active at night, so they had little effect on the rats.[2][1]

Sources

  1. Hawaii Invasive Species Council (Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources), “Mongoose (Urva auropunctata) (species page).” dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/mongoose-urva-auropunctata/ (accessed 2026-10-17)
  2. Kauai Invasive Species Committee, “Mongoose (pest page).” www.kauaiisc.org/pests/mongoose/ (accessed 2026-10-17)
  3. Hawaii Department of Agriculture, “Mongoose Captured on Kauai (news release, May 2023).” dab.hawaii.gov/blog/main/nr23-08nawiliwilimongoose/ (accessed 2026-10-17)
  4. iNaturalist, “Urva auropunctata taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/925979 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-17. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.