What’s a Hawaiian Squirrel?

Well, actually, we don’t have squirrels here but we do have mongooses. They are now established here on the main Hawaiian Islands except for Kauai and Lanai. Mongooses are more weasel like in build and behavior and don’t go in up the trees much.

In the late 1800’s the small Asian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) was brought here by the sugarcane industry to control rats. That misguided effort is usually characterized as a failure because the mongoose is diurnal while the rat only comes out at night. However a more accurate depiction is that rodents only make up a portion of the mongooses’ diet as it preys upon birds, small mammals, reptiles, and insects. Apparently, they also eat plants.

I don’t hate mongooses. They are just trying to survive and are good at it. The small Asian mongoose is an opportunistic hunter and scavenger. It reportedly causes millions of dollars in damage every year.

These photos are from my back yard. They are noisy critters, always bitching at each other as they scurry and nosey about. As an invasive species, it is illegal to keep them as pets. It's just as well as they seem to be full of fleas: