The Ethiopian dwarf mongoose (''Helogale hirtula''), also known as the desert dwarf mongoose or Somali dwarf mongoose, is a
mongoose
A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family is currently split into two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to so ...
native to
East Africa, particularly
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
,
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
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, capital = Nairobi
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, largest_city = Nairobi
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, and
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
.
[
The Ethiopian dwarf mongoose will send out warning calls to its family if a predator is detected. They have also been known to produce general alarm calls when danger is not present. These calls have different pitches which indicate different levels of urgency for the family. A study of dwarf mongoose suggested that they could convey the predator's species, distance and elevation to the family all through alarm calls.]
Subspecies
*''Helogale hirtula hirtula''
*''Helogale hirtula ahlselli''
*''Helogale hirtula annulata''
*''Helogale hirtula lutescens''
*''Helogale hirtula powelli''
References
Ethiopian dwarf mongoose
Mammals of Ethiopia
Fauna of the Horn of Africa
Ethiopian dwarf mongoose
Ethiopian dwarf mongoose
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