Real Gundi
| Real Gundi | ||||||||||||
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Common gundi ( Ctenodactylus gundi ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ctenodactylus gundi | ||||||||||||
| Rothman , 1776 |
The actual gundi ( Ctenodactylus gundi ), also called actual comb finger , common gundi or simply Gundi , is an African rodent from the family of the comb fingers (Ctenodactylidae) and is placed together with the Vals gundi ( Ctenodactlus vali ) in the genus Ctenodactylus . In the Red List of Endangered Species of the IUCN , the actual Gundi is listed as not endangered ( least concern ).
features
The proportions of the actual Gundis resemble those of guinea pigs. The body is compact and cylindrical. The short legs each have four toes at the end, which are characterized by their soft cushioned soles, which, similar to cliff jumpers or rock guinea pigs, ensure a firm hold while climbing. Like all comb fingers, actual Gundis also have small combs on their inner toes, consisting of stiff bristle-like hair. The animals use this to clean their velvety beige fur, which offers good camouflage in their natural habitat. The head is triangular and the long whiskers are used for orientation in the dark hiding places. The ears are small, round, and fringed with hair all around. The dark tint of the inside of the ear is probably caused by secretion. With a head body length of 15 to 19 centimeters and a weight of 160 to 350 grams, real gundis, together with the genus-related Vals gundi ( Ctenodactlus vali ), are among the physically largest recent crest fingers.
Distribution and way of life
The real Gundi is widespread in the north of the Sahara, from north-east Morocco, north Algeria to Tunisia and north-west Libya. In the western Sahara Atlas, the distribution area overlaps that of the Vals-Gundi. The habitats are rocky areas of dry deserts and semi-deserts from 230 to 2,900 meters above sea level. The family groups of these highly social rodents can comprise up to 20 individuals, whereby a fixed hierarchy is only established among the males, in which the oldest individual is at the top. A large repertoire of sound types is expelled in various situations, such as danger and intra-species communication. The different types of sounds are typical of the comb fingers and can be useful for identification. We do not dig our own burrows, but rubble caves serve as shelter during the night and are also sought out in the event of danger. Comb fingers are mainly active during the day and usually follow a structured daily routine. In the morning they come out of their sleeping caves and start looking for food. When the temperature reaches 33 ° C over the course of the day, feed intake is completely stopped. A second active phase can be determined in the evening, where the search for food is done again. In the Tunisia deposit, maximum temperatures of around 37 ° C and minimum temperatures of 2 ° C are reached. Hardly any activity can be observed below 10 ° C and above 37 ° C. At particularly cold or warm hours, the group withdraws to the shelter. These particularly sun-loving rodents can often be observed sunbathing on an elevated plateau. The purely plant-based food consists of grasses, herbs, seeds, parts of plants and flowers. In human care, Gundis can reach an age of up to 8 years.
Reproduction
Reproduction takes place in spring. In nature, females probably only have one litter per year. The oestrus of a female is around 28 days, with a small membrane closing the vagina on average for 23.6 days and opening it for 4.7 days. The anestrus is between 103 and 367 days (September to January). After a gestation period of 56 days, one to three, on average about 30 g, already toothed and hairy young animals are born. In the first few days, the cubs are carried around in their mother's mouth and warmed, and for the first time they consume solid food at three days. The young are suckled until about the sixth week, until they mainly eat solid food. Young animals reach sexual maturity at about six months.
Keeping in zoos
The stock of the actual Gundis in zoos is coordinated by a stud book and is distributed across Europe to around 25 zoos.
literature
- Malcolm C. McKenna, Susan K. Bell: Classification of Mammals. Above the species level. Columbia University Press, New York NY 1997, ISBN 0-231-11013-8 .
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- Michael D. Carleton, Guy G. Musser: Order Rodentia. In: Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. Volume 2. 3rd edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 , pp. 745-1600.
- Sandra Honigs: Guardians without weapons - On the biology and keeping of the Gundi (Ctenodactylus gundi). In: Journal of the Cologne Zoo. 54th vol., No. 4, 2011, ZDB -ID 2671314-7 , pp. 175–191, online (PDF; 3.72 MB) .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Ctenodactylus gundi in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008. Posted by: Aulagnier, S., 2008. Accessed December 8, 2012
- ↑ a b Eckhard Grimmberger, Klaus Rudloff: Atlas of the mammals of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. With the collaboration of Christian Kern. Natur- und Tier-Verlag, Münster 2009, ISBN 978-3-86659-090-8 .
- ↑ a b Honey: Guardian without weapons. In: Journal of the Cologne Zoo. 2011, p. 184.
- ↑ Honeys: Guardians without weapons. In: Journal of the Cologne Zoo. 2011, p. 183.
- ↑ Honeys: Guardians without weapons. In: Journal of the Cologne Zoo. 2011, p. 182.
- ↑ Honeys: Guardians without weapons. In: Journal of the Cologne Zoo. 2011, p. 189.
- ↑ Honeys: Guardians without weapons. In: Journal of the Cologne Zoo. 2011, p. 185.
- ↑ Honeys: Guardians without weapons. In: Journal of the Cologne Zoo. 2011, p. 186.
- ↑ Honeys: Guardians without weapons. In: Journal of the Cologne Zoo. 2011, p. 187.
- ↑ Actual Gurundi on Zootierliste.de
