1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey 2 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:10,559 Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren bog Obam Here. There aren't very many 3 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:13,239 Speaker 1: animals out there that could fight a king cobra and 4 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: eat it for dinner, but a mongoose is one of them. 5 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:20,480 Speaker 1: Before we go any further, let's talk about mongooses in general. 6 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:23,919 Speaker 1: Have you ever seen a mongoose? There are twenty nine 7 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:26,119 Speaker 1: species of them, and not all of them look the same, 8 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:29,680 Speaker 1: but they are all long bodied, short eared, sort of 9 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: weasily looking animals. They aren't very closely related to weasels, though. 10 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 1: If you're an animal in the order Carnivora, which is 11 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 1: the order of mammals that are mostly carnivorous and have 12 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: teeth adapted for flesh eating, you can either be on 13 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:48,200 Speaker 1: team dog or team cat. Weasels are related to dogs, 14 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:52,199 Speaker 1: and however much mongooses look like weasels, they are firmly 15 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:55,240 Speaker 1: on team cat. In fact, a mere cat is a 16 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:57,639 Speaker 1: type of mongoose, and cat is right there in its name. 17 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 1: Mongoose is living colonies, and most species live in Africa, 18 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,920 Speaker 1: although one species, the Javan mongoose, has been introduced to 19 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: Europe and has also wreaked havoc and ecosystems all over 20 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:13,760 Speaker 1: the world, especially on islands like Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica. 21 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: Although mongooses are small, they're bright, feisty, and what scientists 22 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 1: call non discriminatory predators. That is, if they can catch 23 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: it or kill it, they'll eat it up to and 24 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 1: including venomous snakes, and an animal like that can do 25 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:32,759 Speaker 1: a lot of damage on an island. But how can 26 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 1: it be that a skinny mongoose can take on one 27 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 1: of the most venomous snakes in the world, like the 28 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:41,039 Speaker 1: hulking king cobra, whose venom can kill an adult human 29 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: and around thirty minutes. The grudge match was popularized in 30 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:49,559 Speaker 1: red Yard Kipling's short story Ricky Tiki Tavy, But that's 31 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: not the only time a mongoose has contributed to popular culture. 32 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: A Hindu fable about a mongoose in a snake dates 33 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 1: back to at least three hundred b C. And in 34 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 1: the nineteen thirties Only on the Isle of Man claimed 35 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:05,600 Speaker 1: a talking mongoose named Jeff spelled Gef by the way, 36 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: lived in their walls by turns, threatening them, protecting them, 37 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 1: killing rabbits for their dinner, and telling them jokes. The 38 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 1: story became a tabloid sensation, and the paranormal investigation that 39 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: resulted is the subject of a recent book called Jeff, 40 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:23,680 Speaker 1: The Strange Tale of an extra Special Talking Mongoose. In 41 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:27,119 Speaker 1: the real world, a few specialized traits have allowed mongooses 42 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 1: to add venomous snakes to their list of entrees. First starters, 43 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: mongooses are quick and agile, and have strong jaws and 44 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:38,240 Speaker 1: thick hides to block those pointy cobra fangs. They also 45 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:41,359 Speaker 1: don't mind rushikan cobra, which is, in spite of its 46 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 1: size and extravagantly toxic venom, actually very shy and uninterested 47 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 1: in tangling with anybody. If King Cobra's made lists, humans 48 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 1: and mongooses would be at the very top of these 49 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 1: snakes avoid list. But mongooses have another advantage body chemistry. 50 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:01,520 Speaker 1: It's not impossible bowl for a mongoose to get sick 51 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 1: or even die from a cobra byte, but their bodies 52 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: make a glycoprotein that binds to the proteins in cobra venom, 53 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 1: so a moderate amount of snake venom won't hurt them. 54 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: They are fascinating creatures mongooses, but best left to their 55 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: own devices. If you live in the United States, you 56 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: definitely can't have one as a pet. They are prohibited 57 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:25,799 Speaker 1: animals in every state except Hawaii, where they've been upgraded 58 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: to the designation of dangerous invasive species. Islands really are 59 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 1: delicate ecosystems. In Hawaii, even the decidedly less bitey hummingbird 60 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 1: is prohibited because of the havoc it could wreak on 61 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 1: pineapple pollination. Today's episode was written by Jesselyn Shields and 62 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 1: produced by Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is production of iHeart 63 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: Radio's How Stuff Works. For more on this and lots 64 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: of other topics, visit our home planet, how stuff Works 65 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 1: dot com. And for more podcasts from my heart Radio, 66 00:03:57,080 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or where every 67 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:01,160 Speaker 1: sen to your favorite shows.