Kaokoveld slender mongoose
| Kaokoveld slender mongoose | ||||||||||||
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Kaokoveld slender mongoose |
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| Galerella flavescens | ||||||||||||
| ( Bocage , 1889) |
The Kaokoveld slender mongoose ( Galerella flavescens ), also Kaokoveld slender pneumon or black slender mongoose is a species of predator from the mongoose family (Herpestidae). They are found in the arid regions of southwest Africa. The region from which it owes its name, the Kaokoveld, is also located here . In the past, the Kaokoveld slender mongoose was considered either a subspecies of the slender mongoose or the Cape mongoose . Today it is considered a separate species.
features
The Kaokoveld slender mongoose is a relatively small mongoose with a slim physique and is similar to the related slender mongoose. Both types are also similar in body weight. The head body length is 31-35.5 cm, with males being slightly larger. The tail is about as long as the rest of the body. The coloration is quite variable and ranges from reddish or yellowish to dark brown or black. With a length of 63 to 68 cm, the skull is larger than that of the slender mongoose but smaller than that of the Cape mongoose. In the wild, the Kaokoveld slender mongoose can be confused with the Cape mongoose, whose range partially overlaps.
distribution and habitat
The Somali mongoose is restricted to south-west Africa, where it inhabits arid areas in north-west Namibia and south-west Angola . It populates arid habitats with not too dense vegetation, although it avoids real deserts.
Way of life
The Kaokoveld slender mongoose feeds primarily on small mammals, birds, reptiles and insects. It also eats maggots from animal carcasses and fleshy fruits. The species seems to be mainly diurnal. You can usually see these mongooses individually, more rarely in groups of two to three animals. In the closer vicinity of larger carcasses, however, up to five animals have sometimes been sighted. Here the animals sometimes act aggressively against one another. Little is known about the size of the grazing areas. A male tagged with a radio station in the Erongo Mountains in Namibia was moving in an area of 145 ha.
Hazardous situation
The IUCN classifies the Somali mongoose in the Red List of Threatened Species as Least Concern . Despite its limited range and its adaptation to certain habitat types, the species is locally quite common. It is also found in some protected areas, such as the Etosha National Park and the Skeleton Coast National Park .
Systematics
The taxonomy of the species is complex and has a complicated history. As early as 1928, the Kaokoveld slender mongoose was first described as a separate species based on animals from the Kaokoveld under the name Myonax nigratus . In the meantime it was considered a subspecies of the Cape mongoose. Even before that, in 1889, a similar form of flavescens from Angola was described as a subspecies of the slender mongoose. Today both forms ( nigrata and flavescens ) are combined and viewed as a separate species. Therefore, the older name flavescens has priority. Two other unsecured subspecies of the Cape mongoose ( annulata and shortridgei ) are also counted among the species of the Kaokoveld slender mongoose. Animals of the form shortridgei are chestnut colored to yellowish while those of the form nigrata are dark brown to black. The dark specimens seem to occur preferentially in the area of dark granite rocks.
literature
- ↑ a b c d J. S. Gilchist, AP Jennings, G. Veron, & P. Cavallini (2009). Family Herpestidaae (Mongooses). In: Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 1: Carnivores. Lynx Edicions, 2009, ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1 .
- ↑ a b c d Herpestes flavescens in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2011. Posted by: Hoffmann, M. & Rathbun, G., 2008. Retrieved on March 22, 2012.