WEBVTT - Why Can a Mongoose Take on a Cobra?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren bog Obam Here. There aren't very many

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<v Speaker 1>animals out there that could fight a king cobra and

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<v Speaker 1>eat it for dinner, but a mongoose is one of them.

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<v Speaker 1>Before we go any further, let's talk about mongooses in general.

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<v Speaker 1>Have you ever seen a mongoose? There are twenty nine

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<v Speaker 1>species of them, and not all of them look the same,

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<v Speaker 1>but they are all long bodied, short eared, sort of

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<v Speaker 1>weasily looking animals. They aren't very closely related to weasels, though.

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<v Speaker 1>If you're an animal in the order Carnivora, which is

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<v Speaker 1>the order of mammals that are mostly carnivorous and have

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<v Speaker 1>teeth adapted for flesh eating, you can either be on

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<v Speaker 1>team dog or team cat. Weasels are related to dogs,

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<v Speaker 1>and however much mongooses look like weasels, they are firmly

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<v Speaker 1>on team cat. In fact, a mere cat is a

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<v Speaker 1>type of mongoose, and cat is right there in its name.

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<v Speaker 1>Mongoose is living colonies, and most species live in Africa,

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<v Speaker 1>although one species, the Javan mongoose, has been introduced to

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<v Speaker 1>Europe and has also wreaked havoc and ecosystems all over

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<v Speaker 1>the world, especially on islands like Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica.

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<v Speaker 1>Although mongooses are small, they're bright, feisty, and what scientists

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<v Speaker 1>call non discriminatory predators. That is, if they can catch

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<v Speaker 1>it or kill it, they'll eat it up to and

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<v Speaker 1>including venomous snakes, and an animal like that can do

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of damage on an island. But how can

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<v Speaker 1>it be that a skinny mongoose can take on one

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<v Speaker 1>of the most venomous snakes in the world, like the

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<v Speaker 1>hulking king cobra, whose venom can kill an adult human

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<v Speaker 1>and around thirty minutes. The grudge match was popularized in

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<v Speaker 1>red Yard Kipling's short story Ricky Tiki Tavy, But that's

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<v Speaker 1>not the only time a mongoose has contributed to popular culture.

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<v Speaker 1>A Hindu fable about a mongoose in a snake dates

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<v Speaker 1>back to at least three hundred b C. And in

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<v Speaker 1>the nineteen thirties Only on the Isle of Man claimed

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<v Speaker 1>a talking mongoose named Jeff spelled Gef by the way,

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<v Speaker 1>lived in their walls by turns, threatening them, protecting them,

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<v Speaker 1>killing rabbits for their dinner, and telling them jokes. The

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<v Speaker 1>story became a tabloid sensation, and the paranormal investigation that

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<v Speaker 1>resulted is the subject of a recent book called Jeff,

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<v Speaker 1>The Strange Tale of an extra Special Talking Mongoose. In

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<v Speaker 1>the real world, a few specialized traits have allowed mongooses

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<v Speaker 1>to add venomous snakes to their list of entrees. First starters,

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<v Speaker 1>mongooses are quick and agile, and have strong jaws and

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<v Speaker 1>thick hides to block those pointy cobra fangs. They also

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<v Speaker 1>don't mind rushikan cobra, which is, in spite of its

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<v Speaker 1>size and extravagantly toxic venom, actually very shy and uninterested

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<v Speaker 1>in tangling with anybody. If King Cobra's made lists, humans

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<v Speaker 1>and mongooses would be at the very top of these

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<v Speaker 1>snakes avoid list. But mongooses have another advantage body chemistry.

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<v Speaker 1>It's not impossible bowl for a mongoose to get sick

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<v Speaker 1>or even die from a cobra byte, but their bodies

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<v Speaker 1>make a glycoprotein that binds to the proteins in cobra venom,

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<v Speaker 1>so a moderate amount of snake venom won't hurt them.

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<v Speaker 1>They are fascinating creatures mongooses, but best left to their

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<v Speaker 1>own devices. If you live in the United States, you

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<v Speaker 1>definitely can't have one as a pet. They are prohibited

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<v Speaker 1>animals in every state except Hawaii, where they've been upgraded

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<v Speaker 1>to the designation of dangerous invasive species. Islands really are

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<v Speaker 1>delicate ecosystems. In Hawaii, even the decidedly less bitey hummingbird

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<v Speaker 1>is prohibited because of the havoc it could wreak on

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<v Speaker 1>pineapple pollination. Today's episode was written by Jesselyn Shields and

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<v Speaker 1>produced by Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is production of iHeart

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<v Speaker 1>Radio's How Stuff Works. For more on this and lots

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<v Speaker 1>of other topics, visit our home planet, how stuff Works

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