Stain roller
| Stain roller | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sleeping spot roller in a zoo |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Chrotogale | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1912 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Chrotogale owstoni | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1912 |
The spotted roller ( Chrotogale owstoni ) is a species of predator from the family of the crawling cats (Viverridae). He lives in Southeast Asia .
description
Spot rollers have an elongated, slender body with a bushy tail and an elongated snout. The basic color of the fur is gray, on the back they have four wide, black horizontal stripes, on the face and neck several black vertical stripes. They have numerous black spots between the ligaments and on the limbs. The rear part of the bushy tail is also black. Patch rollers reach a head body length of 56 to 72 centimeters, a tail length of 35 to 47 centimeters and a weight of 2.5 to 4 kilograms.
distribution and habitat
Patch rollers live in southern China ( Yunnan and Guangxi ), Laos, and northern and central Vietnam . Their habitat is forests, mostly near rivers.
Way of life
They are nocturnal and live mainly on the ground. They use tree hollows, holes in the ground or dense vegetation as sleeping places. Although they are solitary animals in the wild, several animals live peacefully together in captivity. They are territorial animals that mark their territory with the secretion of their anal glands.
Spot rollers feed mainly on worms and insects, sometimes they also eat small vertebrates and fruits. With their long snout they often rummage through earth or leaves, but sometimes also climb trees to forage.
Once or twice a year, the female gives birth to one to three young animals after a gestation period of around 60 days.
threat
Patch rollers are to some extent cultural followers who live near villages and sometimes break into houses in search of litter. Hunting and the destruction of their habitat represent the main threat, the IUCN lists them as endangered ( vulnerable ).
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0801857899
Web links
- Chrotogale owstoni inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Roberton, S., Timmins, RJ, Long, B., Wang Ying-Xiang & Tran Quang Phuong, 2008. Retrieved December 27, 2013.