Eastern falanouc

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Eastern falanouc
Falanouc.jpg
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Eupleridae
Genus: Eupleres
Species:
E. goudotii
Binomial name
Eupleres goudotii
Doyère, 1835
Genus Eupleres range map.svg
Eupleres range

The eastern falanouc (Eupleres goudotii) is a rare mongoose-like mammal in the carnivoran family Eupleridae endemic to Madagascar . [3]

Contents

It is classified alongside the Western falanouc (Eupleres major), recognized only in 2010, in the genus Eupleres . [4] Falanoucs have several peculiarities. They have no anal or perineal glands (unlike their closest relative, the fanaloka), nonretractile claws, and a unique dentition: the canines and premolars are backwards-curving and flat. This is thought to be related to their prey, mostly invertebrates, such as worms, slugs, snails, and larvae.

It lives primarily in the lowland rainforests of eastern Madagascar, while E. major is found in northwest Madagascar. It is solitary and territorial, but whether nocturnal or diurnal is unknown. It is small (about 50 centimetres long with a 24-centimetre-long tail) and shy (clawing, not biting, in self-defence). It most closely resembles the mongooses with its long snout and low body, though its colouration is plain and brown (most mongooses have colouring schemes such as striping, banding, or other variations on the hands and feet).

Its life cycle displays periods of fat buildup during April and May, before the dry months of June and July. It has a brief courting period and weaning period, the young being weaned before the next mating season. Its reproductive cycle is fast. The offspring (one per litter) are born in burrows with opened eyes and can move with the mother through dense foliage at only two days old. In nine weeks, the already well-developed young are on solid food and shortly thereafter they leave their mothers. Though it is fast in gaining mobility (so as to follow its mother on forages), it grows at a slower rate than comparatively-sized carnivorans.

"Falanoucs are threatened by habitat loss, humans, dogs and an introduced competitor, the small Indian civet (Viverricula indica)." [5]

Viverricula indica are also carnivores, and they had much spatial and temporal overlap with Eupleres goudotii when introduced to the same ecosystem the Eupleres goudotii were in. This overlap has shown to potentially have a negative impact on native carnivore populations such as the Eupleres goudotii because of the two species competing for similar resources. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fossa (animal)</span> Cat-like, carnivorous mammal endemic to Madagascar

The fossa is a slender, long-tailed, cat-like mammal that is endemic to Madagascar. It is a member of the carnivoran family Eupleridae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grandidier's mongoose</span> Species of carnivore

Grandidier's mongoose, also known as the giant-striped mongoose or Grandidier's vontsira, is a small carnivoran that lives only in a very small area of southwestern Madagascar, in areas of spiny forest vegetation. It is pale brown or grayish coloured, with eight wide, dark stripes on its back and sides. Grandidier's mongoose is larger than the related broad-striped Malagasy mongoose, G. fasciata, and its stripes are not as wide. The species is named after Alfred Grandidier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malagasy civet</span> Species of carnivore

The Malagasy or striped civet, also known as the fanaloka or jabady, is an euplerid endemic to Madagascar. It is the only species in genus Fossa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small Indian civet</span> Species of mammal

The small Indian civet is a civet native to South and Southeast Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because of its widespread distribution, widespread habitat use and healthy populations living in agricultural and secondary landscapes of many range states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eupleridae</span> Family of carnivores

Eupleridae is a family of carnivorans endemic to Madagascar and comprising 10 known living species in seven genera, commonly known as euplerids, Malagasy mongooses or Malagasy carnivorans. The best known species is the fossa, in the subfamily Euplerinae. All species of Euplerinae were formerly classified as viverrids, while all species in the subfamily Galidiinae were classified as herpestids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ring-tailed vontsira</span> Species of carnivore

The ring-tailed vontsira, locally still known as the ring-tailed mongoose is a euplerid in the subfamily Galidiinae, a carnivoran native to Madagascar. It is the only species in the genus Galidia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galidiinae</span> Subfamily of carnivores

Galidiinae is a subfamily of carnivorans that is restricted to Madagascar and includes six species classified into four genera. Together with the three other species of indigenous Malagasy carnivorans, including the fossa, they are currently classified in the family Eupleridae within the suborder Feliformia. Galidiinae are the smallest of the Malagasy carnivorans, generally weighing about 600 to 900 g. They are agile, short-legged animals with long, bushy ringed tails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-tailed mongoose</span> Species of mongoose from Africa

The white-tailed mongoose is a species in the mongoose family Herpestidae. It is the only member of the genus Ichneumia.

In 2001, the Madagascar Ministry of Environment and Forests, in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), launched a program to create the 372,470 ha Makira Forest Protected Area. Formally established in 2012, Makira Natural Park is one of the largest of Madagascar’s protected areas and encompasses 372,470 hectares of strictly protected forest buffered by more than 350,000 hectares of community-managed forests. The Makira Natural Park is managed by WCS on behalf of the Government of Madagascar under a delegated management contract.

<i>Eupleres</i> Genus of carnivores

Eupleres is a genus of two species of mongoose-like euplerid mammal native to Madagascar that are known as falanoucs. They are primarily terrestrial and consume mainly invertebrates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narrow-striped mongoose</span> Species of carnivore

The narrow-striped mongoose or narrow-striped vontsira is a member of the family Eupleridae endemic to Madagascar. It inhabits the western Madagascar succulent woodlands and northern Madagascar spiny thickets in western and southwestern Madagascar, where it lives from sea level to about 125 m (410 ft) between the Tsiribihina and Mangoky rivers. In Malagasy it is called bokiboky. It is the only species in genus Mungotictis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civet</span> Mammals of the families Viverridae and Nandiniidae and the genus Fossa

A civet is a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term civet applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the family Viverridae. Most of the species's diversity is found in southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feliformia</span> Suborder of carnivores

Feliformia is a suborder within the order Carnivora consisting of "cat-like" carnivorans, including cats, hyenas, mongooses, viverrids, and related taxa. Feliformia stands in contrast to the other suborder of Carnivora, Caniformia.

<i>Cryptoprocta spelea</i> Extinct species of carnivoran from Madagascar

Cryptoprocta spelea, also known as the giant fossa, is an extinct species of carnivore from Madagascar in the family Eupleridae which is most closely related to the mongooses and includes all Malagasy carnivorans. It was first described in 1902, and in 1935 was recognized as a separate species from its closest relative, the living fossa. C. spelea was larger than the fossa, but otherwise similar. The two have not always been accepted as distinct species. When and how C. spelea became extinct is unknown; there is some anecdotal evidence, including reports of very large fossas, that there is more than one surviving species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown-tailed mongoose</span> Species of carnivore

The brown-tailed mongoose, brown-tailed vontsira, Malagasy brown-tailed mongoose, or salano is a species of mammal in the family Eupleridae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is moist lowland tropical forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<i>Salanoia</i> Genus of carnivores

Salanoia is a genus of euplerid carnivoran with two currently described species found in Madagascar. They are mongoose-like, which is reflected in the older versions of their English names, for example brown-tailed mongoose which is now called brown-tailed vontsira. The name Salanoia is derived from salano, one of the vernacular names for Salanoia concolor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euplerinae</span> Subfamily of carnivores

Euplerinae, more commonly known as malagasy civets, is a subfamily of carnivorans that includes four species restricted to Madagascar. Together with the subfamily Galidiinae, which also only occurs on Madagascar, it forms the family Eupleridae. Members of this subfamily, which include the fossa, falanoucs and Malagasy civet, were placed in families like Felidae and Viverridae before genetic data indicated their consanguinity with other Madagascar carnivorans. Within the subfamily, the falanouc and Malagasy civet are more closely related to each other than to the fossa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durrell's vontsira</span> Small species of carnivoran from Madagascar

Durrell's vontsira is a small, reddish-brown, fox-like mammal native to the island of Madagascar. Discovered in 2004, it lives only in the biodiverse wetlands of Lake Alaotra. Durrell's vontsira belongs to the family Eupleridae, a group of meat-eating, cat- or fox-like mammals found only on Madagascar. The species is closely related to the brown-tailed mongoose, with which it forms the genus Salanoia. The two are genetically similar, but morphologically distinct, and S. durrelli was described as a new species in 2010.

The western falanouc is a rare mongoose-like mammal endemic to Madagascar. Until recently, the eastern falanouc was the only recognized species in the genus Eupleres. In 2010, Goodman and Helgen provided morphological evidence showing the two falanoucs are each a separate species and are found in separate geographical locations. E. major is larger and browner compared to E. goudotii and has a diet consisting mainly of invertebrates such as worms, snails, and slugs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herpestoidea</span> Superfamily of mammals

Herpestoidea is a superfamily of mammalia carnivores which includes mongooses, Malagasy carnivorans and the hyenas.

References

  1. Hawkins, F. (2016). "Eupleres goudotii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T68336601A45204582. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T68336601A45204582.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 532–628. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  4. Goodman, S. M.; Helgen, K. M. (2010-02-25). "Species limits and distribution of the Malagasy carnivoran genus Eupleres (Family Eupleridae)". Mammalia. 74 (2): 177–185. doi:10.1515/mamm.2010.018. S2CID   62833979.
  5. Smithsonian Institution. Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife. New York: DK Publishing, 2009, p. 205.
  6. Farris, Zach J.; Kelly, Marcella J.; Karpanty, Sarah; Murphy, Asia; Ratelolahy, Felix; Andrianjakarivelo, Vonjy; Holmes, Christopher (2017-02-01). "The times they are a changin': Multi-year surveys reveal exotics replace native carnivores at a Madagascar rainforest site". Biological Conservation. 206: 320–328. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2016.10.025. ISSN   0006-3207.

Sources