This slender mongoose occurs widely in sub-Saharan Africa and has been recorded from semidesert to woodland at elevations of 0–2,700 m.
Its coat ranges from yellowish-brown to bright reddish-brown and may be grizzled. The belly is buff, the long tail has a dark or black tip, and the iris is orange.
It is diurnal, often active during cooler parts of the day, and usually solitary. It uses habitats from semidesert to dense woodland and shelters in ground burrows, hollow trees, or rock crevices.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.