Bushy-tailed mongoose

Last updated

Bushy-tailed mongoose
Bushy-tailed mongoose - Snapshot Safari Ruaha1.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Herpestidae
Genus: Bdeogale
Species:
B. crassicauda
Binomial name
Bdeogale crassicauda
Peters, 1852
Bushy-tailed Mongoose area.png
Bushy-tailed mongoose range
(green - extant, pink - probably extant)

The bushy-tailed mongoose (Bdeogale crassicauda) is a mammal in the family Herpestidae found in central Africa, from southern Kenya to central Mozambique.

Contents

Characteristics

The bushy-tailed mongoose has a greyish to yellowish brown fur. The underfur is dense, and the guard hairs are 5–45 mm (0.20–1.77 in) long. Its head is rounded. [2] It has short woolly ears and a plush muzzle. Its tail is wide and bushy. [3] Five individuals captured in Arusha National Park had a head-to-body length of 383–407 mm (15.1–16.0 in) with a 230 mm (9.1 in) long tail and a 74.9–77.7 mm (2.95–3.06 in) long feet; they weighed 1.273–1.3 kg (2.81–2.87 lb). [4]

Taxonomy

Phylogeny

The bushy tailed mongoose is closely related to the black-footed mongoose (Bdeogale nigripes). Perez's study of genes within the family Herpestidae showed the genus Bdeogale is monophyletic. Close cousins of this clade include the genera Ichneumia and Cynictis. [3]

Distribution and habitat

Because of the bushy-tailed mongoose's size and stealthiness, its range is not completely known. Although, it apparently prefers locations near rivers that provide cover. [2] The bushy-tailed mongoose inhabits foremost open shrubland and multilayered forest. These habitats vary little in temperature and humidity. [4] In northern Tanzania, the bushy-tailed mongoose was recorded in more than 31 camera trap locations in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Biharamulo-Burigi-Kimisi Game Reserve and Mahale Mountains National Park, mostly in Acacia woodlands and riparian zones. [5]

Conservation

The bushy-tailed mongoose is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It is negatively impacted by habitat degradation and fragmentation, prey depletion and land use dynamics caused by cattle grazing. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stripe-necked mongoose</span> Species of mongoose from South Asia

The stripe-necked mongoose is a mongoose species native to forests and shrublands from southern India to Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angolan genet</span> Species of mammal

The Angolan genet or miombo genet is a genet species endemic to Southern Africa. It is considered common in this region and therefore listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List. Little is known about its ecology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crab-eating mongoose</span> Species of mongoose from Asia

The crab-eating mongoose is a mongoose species ranging from the northeastern Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia to southern China and Taiwan. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

<i>Bdeogale</i> Genus of carnivores

Bdeogale is a mongoose genus that was proposed by Wilhelm Peters in 1850 based on a mongoose specimen collected in Mozambique. Bdeogale species have compact paws with four symmetrical toes, round ears and a blunt muzzle with a broad round and bare rhinarium. The genus contains four species that are primarily terrestrial and omnivorous and forage in dense vegetation.

<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">Jackson's mongoose</span> Species of mongoose from Central Africa

Jackson's mongoose is a mongoose species native to montane forests in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. It appears to be rare and has been classified as Near Threatened since 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-footed mongoose</span> Species of mongoose from Central Africa

The black-footed mongoose is a mongoose species native to Central Africa, where it inhabits deep deciduous forests from eastern Nigeria to the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2008. It is omnivorous and feeds on ants, termites, Orthoptera, small rodents, frogs, lizards and fruits. It is mostly solitary and nocturnal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Javan mongoose</span> Species of mongoose from Asia

The Javan mongoose is a mongoose species native to Southeast Asia.

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

The Liberian mongoose is a mongoose species native to Liberia and Ivory Coast. It is the only member of the genus Liberiictis. Phylogenetic analysis shows it is closely related to other small, social mongooses and that the banded mongoose is its closest relative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meller's mongoose</span> Species of mongoose from Africa

Meller's mongoose is small brown mongoose native to savannas and woodlands of southeastern Africa. It is the only member of the genus Rhynchogale. The Meller's mongoose lives alone and is active at night, feeding on termites or other small insects and animals. While somewhat rare, it is adaptable and faces no serious threats. It is a member of the mongoose family (Herpestidae), a group of fox-like animals native to Asia, southern Europe, and Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schreber's yellow bat</span> Species of bat

Schreber's yellow bat or the giant house bat, is a species of vesper bat. It is found in Benin, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry savanna, and moist savanna. It is an uncommon species and its biology is poorly known. It was first described in 1774 by the German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber, who named it Vespertilio nigrita. It was later transferred to the genus Scotophilus, making it Scotophilus nigrita.

Kellen's dormouse is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is native to tropical Africa where its range extends from the Gambia and Senegal to Kenya and Tanzania. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, and moist or dry savannah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest giant squirrel</span> Species of rodent

The forest giant squirrel or Stanger's squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae found in Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and plantations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African giant free-tailed bat</span> Species of bat

The African giant free-tailed bat, or African free-tailed bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly South Africa. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

Sokoke dog mongoose is a mongoose species endemic to the East African coastal forests of Tanzania and Kenya.

References

  1. 1 2 White, P.A.; Fischer, C.; Hausser, Y.; Foley, C.; Do Linh San, E. (2016). "Bdeogale crassicauda". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T41591A97163568. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41591A97163568.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Taylor, M.E. (1987). "Bdeogale crassicauda". Mammalian Species (294): 1–4. doi:10.2307/3503826. JSTOR   3503826.
  3. 1 2 Perez, M.; Li, B.; Tiller, A.; Cruaud, A. & Veron, G. (2006). "Systematic Relationships of the Bushy-tailed and Black-footed Mongooses (genus Bdeogale, Herpestidae, Carnivora) Based on Molecular, Chromosomal and Morphological Evidence". Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 44 (3): 251–259. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0469.2006.00359.x.
  4. 1 2 Martinoli, A.; Preatoni, D.; Galanti, V.; Codipietro, P.; Kilewo, M.; Fernandes, C.A.R.; Wauters, L.A. & Tosi, G. (2006). "Species Richness and Habitat Use of Small Carnivores in the Arusha National Park (Tanzania)". Biodiversity & Conservation. 15 (5): 1729–1744. doi:10.1007/s10531-004-5020-2. S2CID   24864567.
  5. Pettorelli (2010). "Carnivore biodiversity in Tanzania: Revealing the distribution patterns of secretive mammals using camera traps". Animal Conservation. 2. 13 (2): 131–139. doi:10.1111/j.1469-1795.2009.00309.x. S2CID   84216019.