Ethiopian dwarf mongoose

{{short description|Species of mongoose from Africa}}

{{speciesbox

| name = Ethiopian dwarf mongoose

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |title=Helogale hirtula |author=Do Linh San, E. |author2=Hoffmann, M. |date=2015 |page=e.T41608A45206437 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T41608A45206437.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}

| genus = Helogale

| species = hirtula

| authority = Thomas, 1904

| range_map = Ethiopian Dwarf Mongoose area.png

| range_map_caption = Ethiopian dwarf mongoose range

| image = Helogale hirtula 230649079.jpg

}}

The Ethiopian dwarf mongoose (Helogale hirtula), also known as the desert dwarf mongoose or Somali dwarf mongoose, is a mongoose native to East Africa, particularly Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.

The Ethiopian dwarf mongoose sends out warning calls to its family if a predator is detected. It also produces general alarm calls when danger is not present. These calls have different pitches which indicate different levels of urgency for the family, could convey the predator's species, distance and elevation to the family all through alarm calls.{{Cite journal |last1=Collier |first1=K. |last2=Radford |first2=A.N. |last3=Townsend |first3=S.W. |last4=Manser |first4=M.B. |date=2017 |title=Wild dwarf mongoose produce general alert and predator-specific alarm calls |journal=Behavioral Ecology |volume=28 |issue=5 |pages=1293–1301 |doi=10.1093/beheco/arx091 |doi-access=free |hdl=1983/fabf0dc0-ce48-4875-a871-ac8ce0d79b99 |hdl-access=free}}