Piglet kunk
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Piglet sack ( Conepatus leuconotus ) |
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| Conepatus leuconotus | ||||||||||||
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The piglet skunk ( Conepatus leuconotus ) is one of four species of the white-nosed skunk within the skunks known as "skunks". It is distributed from the southern United States to Central America. Like most skunks, the piglet skunk is omnivorous, but it feeds on insects and insect larvae to a large extent.
Due to the relatively large distribution area and the ability to adapt to different habitats, the piglet dump is classified as not endangered ("least concern") by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). In parts of its distribution area, however, there are significant populations due to habitat changes and competition with wild boars and striped skunks.
features
general characteristics
The Ferkelskunk reaches a head-torso length of about 34 to 51 and a tail length of 12 to 41 centimeters, with the females being about 10 percent smaller than the males. The weight is between 1.1 and 4.5 kilograms. This means that the piglet sack is about the same size as or slightly larger than the striped sack ( Mephitis mephitis ). The body is massive and heavier than that of other Skunk species, the tail comparatively short in relation to the body.
Piglet skunk can be distinguished from other Skunk species mainly by its coat color. It is black with a single wide white stripe that runs from the head over the shoulders and back to over the tail. The stripe begins with a wedge-shaped spot on the head and widens near the shoulders to about half the width of the back. From there it can widen further and take up almost the entire back, but it can also become narrower on the back and torso or partially absent. In the northwest of the distribution area, the animals are often characterized by an almost completely white back. The tail is almost completely white at the top, but may still have black parts at the base. This color, consisting of a basic black color with a single wide stripe on the back, is unique among the Skunks. Piglet skunks are also the only skunks without a white spot or stripe between the eyes, the face is accordingly completely black. The muzzle is comparatively long and the nasal mirror is relatively large with a width of about 2 and a length of 2 to 6 centimeters; in the strip skunk it is about a third as wide. It is hairless and the shape of the nose is similar to that of a small pig, which led to the German name “Ferkelskunk” and the English name “hog-nosed skunk”. The eyes are small, the ears rounded and also small with a length of 0.8 to 3.6 centimeters. The legs are short and stocky and end in a plantigrade foot, which characterizes the piglet kunks like all skunks as sole walkers. The hind feet with a length of 2.2 to 9 centimeters are wide and large, the sole is hairless up to about half of the foot. The front feet have comparatively long claws that allow the animals to dig and climb.
Like other skunks, the piglet skunk also has well-developed stink glands that lie below the base of the tail near the anus . They contain a foul-smelling secretion that is used for defense. The main components of the defense secretion are 2-butene-1-thiol (a thiol ) and (E) -2-butenylthioacetate (a thiol ester ). In addition, there are phenyl methanethiol , 2-methylquinoline , 2-quinoline methanethiol and bis- (E) -2-butenyl disulfide as secondary components.
Skull and skeletal features
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The skull of the piglet kunk is generally flat, but slightly higher than in related species, especially in the area of the temporal bones ( ossa temporalia ). It has a basal length of 58 to 85, an average of 73 millimeters, and a maximum width in the area of the zygomatic arches of 36 to 57, an average of 43 millimeters. It has very large nostrils, the intermaxillary bones (premaxillary) are reduced to a narrow and curved rod. The bony palate ends behind the upper molars. The nasal bones and the maxillary bones end at the same level and the postorbital constriction, a constriction behind the eyes, is only weakly developed. The tympani is not flattened.
The row of teeth in the upper jaw is 19 to 27, on average 23 millimeters long. The Skunk has three cutting teeth ( incisors ), a canine ( canine ), two Vorbackenzähne ( Praemolares ) and a molars ( Molar ) in an upper jaw half and three cutting teeth, a canine, three Vorbackenzähne and two molar teeth in a lower jaw. The animals have a total of 32 teeth.
genetics
The Ferkelskunk has a simple chromosome set (s) of 23 and a diploid chromosome set of 2n = 46, so it has a total of 46 chromosomes in each cell. 38 chromosomes are metacentric or submetacentric and 6 chromosomes are acrocentric . The X chromosome is metacentric, the Y chromosome subtelocentric and very small, it contains a lot of compressed chromatin ( heterochromatin ). The C-bands , which result from the coloring of the chromosomes, are in the area of the centromeres , with the chromosomes 16, 19 and the Y-chromosome, however, there are large pericentromeric C-bands.
For the mitochondrial DNA and the cytochrome b region of the nuclear DNA , sequence data are available that were used for phylogenetic analyzes and confirm the position of the piglet scunks within the skunks and the monophyly of the skunks as taxons . Within the species, a comparison of the known nuclear DNA sequences revealed a genetic divergence between the eastern and western populations of piglet kunks of 0.98 percent.
distribution
The distribution area of the piglet sunk stretches from the southern United States over Mexico to Central America, where it occurs in Honduras , Guatemala and Costa Rica to northern Nicaragua . In the United States, the species has been documented in the states of Colorado , Oklahoma , Texas , Arizona, and New Mexico , and in Mexico in Zacatecas , Sinaloa , Sonora , Oaxaca , Coahuila , Colima , Veracruz, and Michoacán . Within the genus of the Belarusian scunks, the piglet scunks have the furthest north-lying distribution area and they are the only species that occur in Central America and the United States.
The species is found in numerous habitats, including stony arid and mountainous areas, grasslands, canyons and river beds, tropical areas, and coastal areas. It is absent in desert areas as well as in tropical rainforests . In Mexico in particular, the species has been found in a wide variety of habitats, from arid areas in northern and eastern Zacatecas to tropical regions, mountain forests and coastal strips in San Luis Potosi , acacia forests in Veracruz, thorn forests and river banks in Tamaulipas and pine and oak forests in the San Carlos Mountains . In Texas, too, the habitats vary; the animals are found in bushland and natural grassland, which is largely used for cattle breeding, in Kleberg County and in thorn bush and cactus-dominated regions in southern Texas. The altitude distribution can reach up to about 2750 meters in the Graham Mountains or up to 3050 meters in Mexico.
Way of life
Piglet kunks live as solitary animals, only the females stay with the young animals until late summer. They are nocturnal, but especially in winter they also go looking for food during the day in warm times of the day. Piglet kunks spend the hot days in underground buildings, under bushes or in stone crevices. They put their brood burrows in hollow tree trunks and tree roots, in cavities under large rocks and in stone piles. However, they can also be found in caves, mines or in the nests of tree rats. The animals use the abandoned buildings of other animals as well as those that they have built themselves.
Within the distribution area , the piglet sank occurs in large parts sympatric with three other Skunk species, the striped skunk ( Mephitis mephitis ), the hooded skunk ( Mephitis macroura ) and regionally the western patched skunk ( Spilogale gracilis ) or the Eastern patched skunk ( Spilogale putorius ). These species often use the same structures and different resources, but differ, for example, in their diet.
When threatened, the piglet dung tries to flee and hide. He can also take the offensive and, standing on his hind legs, threateningly take a few steps towards the attacker. If this is unsuccessful, he suddenly drops back onto his front legs and emits a loud hissing sound as a warning. Then he pulls his back legs under his body, throws dirt in the direction of the attacker, shows his teeth and kicks the ground hard with his front legs. In doing so, he lifts his tail and lays it flat on his back. If he is now attacked, he bites and sprays the attacker with the strongly foul-smelling defense secretion from his anal glands. It can spray this both in a targeted jet and as a mist, depending on the position and size of the enemy. When escaping, the Skunk looks for cover and retreats into thorny cactus undergrowth, and it can also climb trees to escape potential attackers.
nutrition
Piglet skunks feed on insects in particular, although their proportion of the diet is higher for this species than for all other types of skunks. They find their prey by digging for larvae with their snouts and front feet in the ground. As opportunistic omnivores, however, the animals can feed on varying proportions of fruits and other plant parts or small vertebrates if there are not enough insects. The skunks usually ingest water through their food, and piglet skunks have only rarely been observed drinking in Texas and Mexico.
Reproduction
The mating season for piglet kunks extends from late February to March, and most females are pregnant at the end of March. The gestation period lasts about 60 days, so the young are born in April to May. In individual cases the gestation period can vary, for example a female kept in captivity with a gestation period of more than 70 days is known. The litters consist of one to five young animals, usually the females give birth to two to four young animals. The females have three pairs of teats for feeding .
Adolescent young animals were observed outside the burrow from July to mid-August. From the end of August they start to spread. The maximum age of piglet kunks in the wild is no more than three to four years, but in captivity they can live to be more than 14 years.
Predators and parasites
Larger predators in particular play a role among the predators of the piglet kunks . It is in particular dogs as domestic dogs and coyotes ( Canis latrans ), the red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ), the gray fox ( Urocyon cinereoargenteus ) and Badger ( Taxidea taxus ) and among the cats at Puma ( Puma concolor ) and Bobcat ( Lynx rufus ). There are also birds of prey such as golden eagles ( Aquila chrysaetos ) and bald eagles ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ) and owls such as the great horned owl ( Bubo virginianus ). All of these predators are opportunistic hunters who prey on skunks along with numerous other animals; there are no predators specialized in skunks.
Like other predators, piglet kunks are carriers and hosts of numerous parasites , including fleas and ticks as ectoparasites . Added tapeworms , of which species of the genera Oochoristica and Mesocestoides as well as art Mathevotaenia mephitis are proven nematodes as Filaroides milksi , filaria martis , filaria taxidaea , Physaloptera maxillary , Physaloptera rara and unspecified Gongylonema and acanthocephala as Macracanthorhynchus ingens , Oncicola canis and Pachysentis canicola .
Evolution and systematics
Fossil Findings and Evolution
The radiation of the species within the Belarusian kunk 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. The oldest known fossils of the White Nosebos are from Conepatus sanmiguelensis from the early Pliocene of central Mexico about 3 to 4 million years ago. In South America, the genus was first detected in Argentina about 2.5 million years ago . Fossil remains of the piglet sunk have been recorded in Florida, New Mexico and Nuevo León, Mexico since the late Pleistocene .
Systematics
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Phylogenetic systematics of the Skunks
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The Ferkelskunk is classified as an independent species within the genus of the Weißrüsselskunks ( Conepatus ), which consists of four species.
The first scientific description as Mephitis leuconota comes from Martin Lichtenstein from 1832 on the basis of an individual from the upper reaches of the Rio Alvarado in the Mexican state of Veracruz . Lichtenstein, who later became the first director of the Berlin zoological garden , was at the time professor at the chair for zoology at the University of Berlin and director of the zoological museum in Berlin . He presented the species together with another species, Mephitis mesoleuca , which is now synonymous with Ferkelskunk , as well as numerous other animal species in his collection. Representation of new or little-known mammals in pictures and descriptions: of five and sixty species on fifty colored stone printing plates based on the originals in the Zoological Museum of the University of Berlin , which appeared in 10 issues from 1827 and 1834 and was illustrated by Franz Krüger and F. A. Schmidt. The genus Conepatus was first scientifically described in 1837 by John Edward Gray , who chose the Patagonian Skunk , which he also first described in that year, as a type species and assigned this genus to the piglet skunk under the synonym Conepatus nasutus in 1865 . Since the first description, numerous other species descriptions have been made, which are now regarded as synonyms of the piglet kunk and its subspecies. In addition, the name Conepatus mapurito was used for a long time as the common name of all white- legged kunks and thus also the piglet kunk of this species was added.
There are three subspecies of piglet sunk:
- Conepatus leuconotus leuconotus ( Lichtenstein , 1832), nominate form - United States (Texas, New Mexico, Arizona), Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua
- Conepatus leuconotus figginsi F. W. Miller , 1925 - United States: Colorado, Oklahoma
- Conepatus leuconotus telmalestes Bailey , 1905 - United States: Southeastern Texas (probably extinct)
Within the White -legged skunk, the piglet skunk is the sister species of the Andean skunk ( Conepatus chinga ); these two are compared with the remaining species, the Patagonian skunk ( Conepatus humboldtii ) and the Amazon skunk ( Conepatus semistriatus ) as a common taxon . In their entirety, the Belarusian Skunks represent the sister group of the genera of the Striped Skunks ( Mephitis ) and the Fleckenskunks ( Spilogale ), which are common in North and Central America .
Naming
The species name leuconotus is derived from the Greek words leuco for white and nota or notum for back, so it refers to the white back of the animals. The generic name Conepatus is derived from the Spanish name conepate or conepatl for skunks. Conepatl, on the other hand , could have developed from the word nepantla in the Aztec Nahuatl language , which designates an underground structure.
Hazard and protection
The Ferkelskunk 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 ability to adapt to different habitats. Especially in the north of the distribution area, however, there has been a very strong decline in the last few decades and in Texas the species has become regionally very rare, so that a reassessment based on current population figures is necessary.
Historically, the species likely occurred in a much larger area of the southern United States. A sharp decline has been recorded particularly in southern Texas, where some populations are expected to become extinct. Only seven percent of all museum specimens from this region date from the period after 1950 and in large parts of the state, in which the species used to be common, such as in the Rio Grande Valley , it is rarely or no longer to be found. The subspecies C. l. telmalestes in eastern Texas is probably already extinct, the last finds date from 1905. In Colorado a footprint was found in 1996, and two more recent skulls from 1997 and 2000 are available; There is no further evidence of an occurrence of the species in Colorado and the most recent complete museum specimen dates from 1932. In recent years, however, some individuals in the Gulf region from south Texas to Mexico have been identified via dead finds ("roadkills") and one genetic Research suggests multiple populations and more abundance than expected.
The main threats to the species are the sharp decline and fragmentation of suitable habitats for the species, as well as competition with expanding wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) and striped skunk ( Mephitis mephitis ) populations . In addition, there are losses from road traffic and pest control through pesticides , which affect both the skunk directly and the insects it needs for food. In the north of the distribution area, the bush land required for this species is increasingly being converted into agricultural land, so that there has been a very sharp decline in piglet kunks. In parts of the distribution area in which the striped skunk also occurs, there may be mix-ups when hunting. Striped skunks are common and hunted as fur animals , even in areas where both species are found.
The species is not protected by the Endangered Species Act and the protection status varies in the American states. Piglet dump is considered a predator in Arizona and a fur animal in Texas; in both states it can be legally hunted throughout the year. In Colorado and New Mexico, however, it is not released for hunting and in Oklahoma it is under species protection. The species is classified as critically endangered in Colorado and classified as endangered in New Mexico and Oklahoma, while in Texas and Oklahoma the stocks are considered safe. At the United States Forest Service , piglet dump is assessed as endangered in the entire US distribution area.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h J.W. Dragoo: American Hog-nosed Skunk Conepatus leuconotus. In: Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 1: Carnivores. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2009; ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1 , pp. 555-556.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Jerry W. Dragoo, Steven R. Sheffield: Conepatus leuconotus (Carnivora: Mephitidae) . In: Mammalian Species . tape 827 , 2009, p. 1-8 , doi : 10.1644 / 827.1 .
- ↑ a b c Jerry W. Dragoo, Rodney L. Honeycutt, David J. Schmidly: Taxonomic status of White-backed Hog-nosed Skunks, genus Conepatus (Carnivora: Mephitidae). Journal of Mammalogy 84 (1), 2003; Pp. 159-176, doi : 10.1644 / 1545-1542 (2003) 084 <0159: TSOWBH> 2.0.CO; 2
- ↑ PL Perelman, AS Graphodatsky, JW Dragoo, NA Serdyukova, G. Stone, P. Cavagna, A. Menotti, W. Nie, PC O'Brien, J. Wang, S. Burkett, K. Yuki, ME Roelke, SJ O'Brien, F. Yang, R. Stanyon: Chromosome painting shows that skunks (Mephitidae, Carnivora) have highly rearranged karyotypes. Chromosome Research 16 (8), 2008; Pp. 1215-1231, doi : 10.1007 / s10577-008-1270-2
- ↑ a b c d Conepatus leuconotus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: AD Cuarón, F. Reid, FK slipway, 2008. Accessed August 23, 2013.
- ↑ Wesley A. Brashear, Robert C. Dowler, Gerardo Ceballos: Climbing as an Escape Behavior in the American Hog-Nosed Skunk, Conepatus leuconotus. Western North American Naturalist 70 (2), 2010; Pp. 258-260, doi : 10.3398 / 064.070.0217
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Xiaoming Wang, Óscar Carranza-Castañeda: Earliest hog-nosed skunk, Conepatus (Mephitidae, Carnivora), from the early Pliocene of Guanajuato, Mexico and origin of South American skunks. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 154 (2), 2008; Pp. 386-407 doi : 10.1111 / j.1096-3642.2008.00411.x .
- ↑ a b c Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Conepatus leuconotus ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
- ↑ Representation of new or little-known mammals in illustrations and descriptions: of five and sixty species on fifty colored stone printing plates based on the originals of the Zoological Museum of the University of Berlin / / by H. Lichtenstein. in the Smithsonian Library Catalog; Retrieved August 24, 2013.
- ↑ Joseph D. Holbrook, Randy W. DeYoung, Arturo Caso, Michael E. Tewes, John H. Young: Hog-Nosed Skunks (Conepatus leuconotus) Along the Gulf of Mexico: Population Status and Genetic Diversity full access. The Southwestern Naturalist 57 (2), 2012; Pp. 223-225, doi : 10.1894 / 0038-4909-57.2.223
- ^ A b Carron A. Meaney, Anne K. Ruggles, Gary P. Beauvais: American Hog-nosed Skunk (Conepatus leuconotus): A Technical Conservation Assessment. Prepared on behalf of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, Species Conservation Project, December 2006 ( full text ( memento of the original from August 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check original and Archive link according to instructions and then remove this note .; PDF; 1.3 MB)
literature
- Jerry W. Dragoo, Steven R. Sheffield: Conepatus leuconotus (Carnivora: Mephitidae) . In: Mammalian Species . tape 827 , 2009, p. 1-8 ( abstract ).
- JW Dragoo: American Hog-nosed Skunk Conepatus leuconotus. In: Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 1: Carnivores. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2009, ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1 , pp. 555-556.
- Carron A. Meaney, Anne K. Ruggles, Gary P. Beauvais: American Hog-nosed Skunk (Conepatus leuconotus): A Technical Conservation Assessment. Prepared for the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, Species Conservation Project, December 2006 ( full text ; PDF; 1.3 MB)
Web links
- Conepatus leuconotus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: AD Cuarón, F. Reid, FK slipway, 2008. Accessed December 29, 2011th
