From: dscheidt@panix.com   
      
   Unlike most other social mongoose species, all females in a banded   
   mongoose group can breed.[8] They all enter oestrus around 10 days   
   after giving birth, and are guarded and mated by 1–3 dominant   
   males.[8] The dominant males monitor the females and aggressively   
   defend them from subordinates. While these males do most of the   
   mating, the females often try to escape from them and mate with other   
   males in the group. A dominant male will spend 2–3 days guarding each   
   female.[8] A guarding male will snap at, lunge at or pounce on any   
   males that come near.[8] A non-guarding male may follow a guarding   
   male and his female and may face this aggression. Non-guarding males   
   mate in a more secretive way.[8] This kind of "sneaking" behavior is   
   similar to what subordinate males of the fish species Neolamprologus   
   pulcher do; they also try to mate with females that are guarded by the   
   dominant males.   
      
   Gestation is 60–70 days. In most breeding attempts, all females give   
   birth either on the same day[8][12] or within a few days. Litters   
   range 2–6 pups and average 4. For their first four weeks of life, pups   
   stay in the dens. At this time they are guarded at the den by 1–3   
   babysitters while the other group member go on their foraging   
   trips.[13] After four weeks, the pups are able to go foraging   
   themselves. Each pup is cared for by a single adult "escort" who helps   
   the pup to find food and protects it from danger.[14] Pups become   
   nutritionally independent at three months of age.   
      
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