Age criteria for the prenatal and immature mongoose in Hawaii

Anatomical age markers are established in the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) for embyronic, fetal, nestling and juvenile stages. Embryos and fetuses excised from living pregnant females and placed on a time scale of 49 days, the known gestation period, indicate that implantation is at approximately eight to ten days after insemination and that the transition from embryo to fetus occurs at about 14 to 28 days. The sequence of stages grossly discernible in prenatal development is highly similar to that in other mammals. Age in laboratory‐reared pups was correlated with a regular sequence of tooth eruption and replacement. The full set of permanent teeth is present at the age of 22 weeks. M3 was found in 2.8% of 142 adult skulls examined. Prominent reductions occur in the slope of the growth curve during early fetal stages, and at birth, weaning and independence from the mother.