Larval roller
| Larval roller | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg)
Larvae roller ( Paguma larvata ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Paguma | ||||||||||||
| JE Gray , 1831 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Paguma larvata | ||||||||||||
| ( CH Smith , 1827) |
The larvae roller ( Paguma larvata ) is a species of crawling cats that is widespread in South and Southeast Asia and lives mainly in trees. The species has recently been linked to the development of the disease SARS .
features
The larval roller resembles the civet cat in shape . Its fur is orange-brown to gray in color and does not have any spots or stripes, as is typical of most of its relatives. Only the tip of the tail and the feet are darker, often black. The face has a black and white mask drawing: a white stripe, surrounded by two black stripes, extends from the forehead to the muzzle. There are again white spots around the eyes. Again, the cheeks and sides of the muzzle are black. The length of the head body of the larvae roller is about 51 to 76 centimeters, plus another 51 to 63 centimeters of tail. Their weight is around 3.6 to 5 kilograms.
distribution and habitat
Larval rollers live in forests, namely in tropical rainforests as well as in temperate deciduous forests. Their distribution area extends from India to Southeast Asia and China . They are also native to many islands, such as Borneo , Sumatra , Taiwan , the Andaman and Nicobar Islands . Japan was not originally part of their range - larval rollers were introduced here at the beginning of the 20th century.
Way of life
Larval scooters are nocturnal solitary animals that are mainly in the trees. During the day they sleep in the canopy of the trees to look for food at night. When threatened, the animal injects the secretion of its anal glands at an enemy. Similar to the Skunks, the eye-catching facial drawing is likely to be a warning to possible predators.
nutrition
Larval rollers are omnivores, but the focus of their food is on fruits. They also catch small vertebrates ( e.g. squirrels and birds ) and insects .
Reproduction
The female can give birth to offspring twice a year, the litter size is one to four. Young animals reach the size of adults at around 3 months. Otherwise, little is known about reproduction.
threat
The main threat to the larval roller is the progressive destruction of their habitat. However, due to their large distribution area, they are not yet endangered species.
Larval roller and SARS
In parts of China, larval rollers are hunted and eaten for their meat. According to some virologists, this was the first time that the SARS virus was transmitted to humans. In May 2003 the virus was isolated from several larval rollers. The possibility remains that larval rollers were not the origin of the virus either, but received it from other, as yet unknown animals.
The press occasionally reported that civets were the carriers of the SARS virus. Responsible for this was a wrong translation of the English term for larval roller: "palm civet".
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 (English).
Web links
- Paguma larvata inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: Duckworth, JW, Wozencraft, C. & Kanchanasaka, B., 2008. Retrieved December 27, 2013.