Musangs
| Musangs | ||||||||||||
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Fleckenmusang ( Paradoxurus hermaphroditus ) |
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| Paradox | ||||||||||||
| F. Cuvier , 1821 |
The Musangs ( Paradoxurus ) are a genus of crawling cats . They are also sometimes referred to as palm roller - a name but more commonly applied to the entire subfamily to which they belong. There are five types, of which the Fleckenmusang ( Paradoxurus hermaphroditus ) is the best known and most widespread. It is native to all of South Asia and parts of Southeast Asia .
description
Musangs reach a head body length of 43 to 71 centimeters, including 41 to 66 centimeters of tail. Their weight varies between 1.5 and 4.5 kilograms. With Fleckenmusang the fur is colored gray and provided with black patterns, the other species are uniformly yellowish or brownish in color.
Way of life
The Musang's habitat are forests, primarily tropical rainforests . They are pure nocturnal animals and usually stay in the trees. They sleep through the day in knotholes and hollow trunks. Outside of the mating season, they live solitary. Musangs are omnivores that feed on small vertebrates, insects, fruits, and seeds.
Not much is known about reproduction. After around 60 days of gestation, the female gives birth to two to five young animals, which become sexually mature after around a year.
Systematics
There are five types of musangs:
- the Fleckenmusang ( Paradoxurus hermaphroditus ), South Asia and Southeast Asia (Pakistan to Sri Lanka , Vietnam and South China)
- the golden musang ( Paradoxurus zeylonensis ), endemic to Sri Lanka
- the Jerdon-Musang ( Paradoxurus jerdoni ), in south-western India ( Kerala )
- the Philippinen-Fleckenmusang ( Paradoxurus philippinensis ), in the Philippines , Borneo and on the Mentawai Islands off Sumatra
- Paradoxurus musangus , Mainland Southeast Asia, Sumatra , Java , Nias, and Roti
P. musangus and P. philippinensis are each divided into two subspecies. Two or three subspecies are given for P. hermaphroditus .
Musangs and people
Musangs are cultural followers to a certain extent . They often seek proximity to people and settle in their buildings. The Fleckenmusang is also known for its role in the creation of Kopi Luwak coffee , its spread on several islands is likely to be due to human naturalization. The gold musang is as trusting as the stain musang. On the other hand, the Jerdon-Musang should be very shy and avoid being near people.
As with many Southeast Asian forest dwellers, the main threat to the musangs is clearing the forests. The IUCN lists the Jerdon-Musang and the Mentawai-Musang as endangered due to their small distribution area.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Paradoxurus in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed). 2005
- ↑ a b c d Géraldine Veron, Marie-Lilith Patou, Mária Tóth, Manori Goonatilake & Andrew P. Jennings: How Many Species of Paradoxurus Civets are there? New Insights from India and Sri Lanka. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 1–14, 2014 doi : 10.1111 / jzs.12085
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0801857899
