Dwarf mongoose

The average pack of dwarf mongooses includes about 12 animals but can reach as many as 32. Territories are smaller in wetter areas compared to drier areas and are passed down through generations of the pack. Mongooses are matrilineal, and the highest ranking mongoose in a pack is typically an older, dominant female. The second ranking animal is the dominant female's mate, and the monogamous pair are the only breeders in the group. 

Within any age class, females are dominant over males. Sub-adults and immigrants clean, carry and feed juveniles and take turns babysitting. Occasionally, females other than the alpha will nurse the young. Despite this restricted breeding potential, maturing young mongooses do not appear to leave the group, and only when the female dies does the group split. This may be because available habitat is usually occupied to capacity, limiting opportunities to found a new pack. Non-breeders waiting their turn to become dominant can often get into a shorter queue by transferring from their natal pack. Most transfers occur between two and three years of age, during the rains.

Relations between mongoose neighbors are hostile, and larger groups tend to displace smaller groups when they meet. Conflicts usually occur at a territory border, where neighboring packs use the same termite mounds on a first come, first served basis.