Amazon Skunk
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Amazon Skunk ( Conepatus semistriatus ) |
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| Conepatus semistriatus | ||||||||||||
| ( Boddaert , 1785) |
The Amazon Skunk ( Conepatus semistriatus ) is one of four kinds of the hog-nosed skunk within known as "skunk" skunk . It is distributed from southern Mexico to northern South America and geographically isolated in eastern Brazil .
features
The Amazon Skunk reaches an overall length of 57 centimeters on average, the females are usually slightly smaller than the males. The weight is around 1.6 kilograms.
The fur of the Amazon skunk is black with a white mark on the back, which begins as a broad stripe in the neck and then separates into two white stripes with a black space between them and extends to the tail. The tail is covered with black and white hairs that are shorter than other species in the genus. The body hair is also coarser than in the other species.
distribution
The Amazon skunks are common in two non-contiguous ( disjoint ) areas of Latin America . The northern part begins in southern Mexico and extends over the Central American states and along the coastal areas of South America to the northern Andes in Peru as well as Venezuela and the llanos in Colombia . There is also an isolated distribution area in eastern Brazil .
The species is found in numerous habitats, especially in the dry season, including grasslands, wooded and shrubbery areas and open areas, as well as agricultural areas, forest edges and plantations. In the rainy season, this Skunk lives mainly in higher and drier forest areas.
Systematics
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Phylogenetic systematics of the Skunks
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The Amazon Skunk is classified as an independent species within the genus of the White -legged Skunk ( Conepatus ), which consists of four species. The first scientific description comes from Pieter Boddaert from 1785 on the basis of an individual from Mexico, but later the area around Pamplona in the Norte de Santander district in Colombia was also given as the type locality . Within the species, six subspecies are distinguished with the nominate form Conepatus semistriatus semistriatus , Conepatus semistriatus amazonicus , Conepatus semistriatus taxinus , Conepatus semistriatus trichurus , Conepatus semistriatus yucatanicus and Conepatus semistriatus zorrino .
Within the Belarusian skunk, the Amazon skunk is the sister species of the Patagonian skunk ( Conepatus humboldtii ); these two are compared to the remaining species Andean skunk ( Conepatus chinga ) and piglet skunk ( Conepatus leuconotus ) as a common taxon . In their entirety, the Belarusian Skunks represent the sister group of the genera of the Striped Skunks ( Mephitis ) and Fleckenskunks ( Spilogale ), which are common in North and Central America . The radiation of the species within the Belarusian Skunk took place about 11.2 million years ago. This resulted in immigration to the South American continent long before the Central American land bridge was formed about 3 million years ago.
Hazard and protection
The Amazon Skunk is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as not endangered ("least concern") due to its relatively large distribution area and the frequent occurrence as well as the ability to adapt to changed habitats.
Hunting, especially for obtaining skunk skins , poses a potential threat to the species, which is assessed to be minor . In addition, in some areas there is the use of pesticides against plant pests, which also has effects on the skunks as predators.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b Ryan Walker: Conepatus semistriatus in the Animal Diversity Web of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
- ↑ a b c d Conepatus semistriatus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: AD Cuarón, F. Reid, FK slipway, 2008. Accessed December 29, 2011th
- ↑ a b c Katrin Nyakatura, Olaf RP Bininda-Emonds: Updating the evolutionary history of Carnivora (Mammalia): a new species-level supertree complete with divergence time estimates. BMC Biology 10, 2012. doi : 10.1186 / 1741-7007-10-12
- ↑ a b c Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Conepatus humboldtii ( Memento from January 17, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
Web links
- Conepatus semistriatus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: AD Cuarón, F. Reid, FK slipway, 2008. Accessed December 29, 2011th
- Ryan Walker: Conepatus semistriatus on the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology's Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved December 29, 2011.