The Egyptian Mongoose is diurnal and mostly solitary and depends on dense vegetation cover. It is especially found in scrublands, where it prefers humid and riparian landscapes (Palomares and Delibes 1993, Bandeira 2016). In northern Portugal, it is also observed in anthropized areas, exploring marshes, rice fields and orchards (Bandeira et al. 2018). Habitat use is mostly shaped by vegetation structure and prey availability (Palomares and Delibes 1990). The Egyptian Mongoose is an opportunistic and generalist predator, preying on the most abundant, available and vulnerable prey. In Spain, the species shows a wide trophic spectrum, with rabbits (occurring at a frequency of ca 77%) and reptiles as the main items (Delibes et al. 1984).

In Europe, the Egyptian Mongoose is traditionally found in the southwestern part of the Iberian Peninsula, covering Andalusia and Extremadura regions in Spain, and southern Portugal. Historical records (<1910) from northwestern and central Spain, and northern Portugal, may be the signature of retraction from a larger range during the first decades of the 20th century (Delibes 1982), suggesting that the distribution of the species could have been subject to a series of expansions and regressions in the recent past (Borralho et al. 1996). However, since the late 1980s, the Egyptian Mongoose seems to have expanded northward in Portugal (Barros and Fonseca 2011, Barros et al. 2015), but also northward and eastward in Spain (Descalzo et al. 2021, Talegón et al. 2022). In Spain, there are records in areas far from its distribution area (Descalzo et al. 2021) In the Iberian Peninsula, it has been reported up to 1,600 m asl (Palacios et al. 1992).

The Egyptian Mongoose is also widely distributed in Africa, with the exception of desert areas, high rainfall forests and the southern African steppe. It also occurs in the coastal Near East (from Türkiye to Israel and Mt Sinai). In North Africa, the species is present in the Maghreb and northern Egypt (Do Linh San et al. 2016).

The Egyptian Mongoose is globally evaluated as “Least Concern” by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Do Linh San et al. 2016). The species is listed on Appendix III of the Bern Convention and on Annex V of the EU Habitats and Species Directive under a “Favourable” conservation status. In Spain, its status falls under the general protection provided by the law on Natural Heritage and Biodiversity but does not benefit from any specific conservation plan. There is pressure from hunters and shepherds to remove the protection for the alleged damage caused to livestock and game species. In Portugal, the species is included on Annex B – V relative to the species of community interest whose capture in the wild may be authorized and is listed as a game species on Annex B – V.D. The Egyptian Mongoose is considered “Least Concern” in the Portuguese and Spanish Red List of Threatened Species and is not subject of any conservation plan.

In Europe, this species is present in several protected areas across its range. Its great reliance on connectivity between shrub areas should encourage the preservation of the Mediterranean shrub cover landscape (Barros et al. 2017), notably in intensively exploited lands and through an increase in the number of protected areas within the species’ range. In Portugal, a large number of individuals are culled during the hunting season. Given the likely native status of the species in Europe and the potential ecosystem services linked to its feeding strategy (i.e. as a predator of rodents, insects and reptiles), adhering to a non-pest status for the species in Portugal would seem justified.