Earning Its Stripes

It’s easy to miss when every eye in the safari jeep is scanning the treeline for stripes of a different kind. But hard to ignore once you do spot it. At up to three kilos, the stripe-necked mongoose is the largest in Asia.

You’re more likely to meet it low in the wet grass than in any snake-fight. It works the water’s edge, turning over stones for crabs and frogs. The bold black band running ear to shoulder, thinly edged in white, is where it gets its name; the rest is grizzled rust, dark legs, and a black-tipped tail.

We found this one at Kabini, on the Nagarhole edge — one of the few places you can count on crossing paths with the heavyweight of its tribe.