The scientific name Herpestes gracilis var flavescens was proposed by José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage in 1889 who described an adult female collected in Angola's Benguela Province.

[4] The Angolan slender mongoose is endemic to southern Africa, its range including southwestern Angola and northwestern Namibia.

The natural habitat of this mongoose is kopjes, rocky outcrops and areas with large granite boulders, and the woodlands and slopes surrounding these features.

The diet consists largely of insects, solifuges, scorpions, lizards, snakes, small birds and mammals.

[4] The Angolan slender mongoose has a somewhat limited range, and though its population size has not been estimated, it seems to be common and no particular threats have been identified.