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The banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) is a mongoose species native from the Sahel to Southern Africa. It lives in savannas, open forests and grasslands and feeds primarily on beetles and millipedes. Mongooses use various types of dens for shelter including termite mounds. While most mongoose species live solitary lives, the banded mongoose live in colonies with a complex social structure.  Banded mongooses are found in Africa, south of the Sahara, except for the Congo and southwestern Africa. They live in open habitat in grasslands, brush lands, woodlands and rocky country. They have a large range and may travel more than 5 miles a day to forage.

They generally stay in one particular den for a few days at a time, a week at most, and will frequently return to favorite sites. While they are able to dig their own burrows, these mongooses will usually use a natural crevice or an existing hole created by another animal.

They have developed a vocabulary of calls to communicate with each other, as well as anal and cheek glands to scent-mark their territory. They may also scent-mark each other after group separation or a mild scare.

Banded mongooses are primarily insectivorous but eat a variety of foods, including beetles, crabs, earthworms, fallen fruit, grasshoppers, birds, eggs, rodents, scorpions, slugs, snails, snakes and termites. To break open hard food objects, such as eggs or snails, they throw the object vertically or backward, between the hind legs and into a stone or other hard object. They are very possessive of food, and when they find food they eat it right away; there is no food sharing.

Banded mongooses sleep at night and are active during the day.

Source : https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/banded-mongoose