Leopard roller
| Leopard roller | ||||||||||||
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Pardel Roller ( Nandinia binotata ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the family | ||||||||||||
| Nandiniidae | ||||||||||||
| Pocock , 1929 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Nandinia | ||||||||||||
| JE Gray , 1843 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Nandinia binotata | ||||||||||||
| (Gray, 1830) |
The leopard roller ( Nandinia binotata ) is a species of predator . It is a tree-dwelling animal that resembles the stealthy cat and lives in central Africa and feeds primarily on fruits. It is not closely related to any other species of predator and is therefore in its own family , Nandiniidae. The Nandiniidae are a monotypical family, only this one species belongs to it .
features
Pardel rollers reach a head body length of 37 to 63 centimeters, to which a 34 to 76 centimeter long tail comes. Their weight is around 1.2 to 3 kilograms. The males are slightly larger than the females. In their overall appearance, pardle rollers are inconspicuous animals. Their short, dense fur is gray-brown to dark brown, it is provided with dark, irregularly distributed spots on the back. Three to five dark vertical stripes run along the neck, and there is a conspicuous, whitish-yellow spot on each of the shoulders. This color is almost impossible to make out against the bark of a tree. The tail, which is longer than the body, is bushy and has 9 to 15 dark rings.
The head is broad, the snout pointed. The ears are small and rounded, with a dark spot behind each ear. The tooth formula is I 3 / 3- C 1 / 1- P 4 / 4- Molar 2/2, so a total of 40 teeth.
The limbs are short and strong, the paws end in five partially retractable claws . Both sexes have a gland in front of the genitals that produces a yellowish, musky fluid. This gland is flat and has a very simple structure compared to the glands in the clown cats. Other scent glands are located on the chin, on the soles of the feet and, in lactating females, on the stomach.
distribution and habitat
Iberian scooters are native to central Africa, their range extends from Senegal and Gambia eastward to southern Sudan and along the east coast of Africa to Zimbabwe and Mozambique . Their habitats are predominantly tropical rainforests , but they can also be found in other forest forms, such as gallery and drier deciduous forests , sometimes also in tree-lined savannas . In the mountains you can find pardel rollers up to 2500 meters above sea level. They are relatively insensitive to human disturbances and can also live in secondary forests and partially cleared regions.
Way of life
These animals are nocturnal tree dwellers. During the day they sleep on wide, horizontal branches, in the lianas or in tree hollows, usually 12 to 15 meters above the ground. Thanks to their partially hairy balls of the feet and their plantigrade ("sole-legged") foot position, they are excellent climbers who can climb down a tree trunk, for example. The tail is used for balance and can be wrapped around a branch for support, but is not designed as a prehensile tail .
Iberos are territorial loners who only come together to mate for a short time. The areas of the males with an average of 85 hectares significantly greater than that of the female, the average comprise 45 hectares. The size of the territory of the females mainly depends on the available food; the areas are marked with glandular secretions and hardly overlap with others. The territories of the males overlap with those of several females, whereby the size of the territory depends more on the number of females than on the food. There are larger, dominant males who have more extensive territories and also larger scent glands and testicles than smaller, subordinate conspecifics. The territories of different males can overlap in some cases. Males rarely meet each other, but in these cases it can lead to armed conflicts.
Both sexes utter long, plaintive huu sounds, especially during the mating season.
nutrition
Iberian rollers are omnivores that feed primarily (around 80%) on fruits . They are eaten in five to ten minutes, after which they rest for around two hours on a nearby tree. If there is a plentiful supply of food, up to 15 animals can be found on a single tree. The females seem to enjoy priority at these encounters. The animals defecate two to three hours after ingesting the fruit and thus play an important role in the distribution of the seeds.
The remaining 20% of the diet is made up of animal food, such as rodents , primates , insects and birds and their eggs. They pounce on the prey, press it against the ground with their front paws and kill it with bites all over their bodies. Sometimes they also eat carrion .
Animals that live close to humans also often eat crops or invade stables where they kill poultry. There have been reports that animals in captivity consume alcohol, presumably their bodies have adapted to it through the consumption of overripe or already fermenting fruits.
Reproduction
Once or twice a year the female gives birth to an average of two young animals after a gestation period of around 64 days. Mating is seasonal, with births often occurring at the end of the rainy or the beginning of the dry season . Newborns weigh around 56 grams, are nestled and initially have their eyes and ears closed. The young animals reach the size and weight of the adult animals after six to nine months, but accompany the mother on her nocturnal forays beforehand. The maximum age in human care is 16 to 18 years.
Iberian roller and people
Iberian rollers are very common but are rarely noticed due to their nocturnal and hidden way of life. They are also found near human settlements and in partially deforested areas, and are not demanding in terms of their habitat. In some places they are kept as pets or hunted for their meat and their use in traditional medicine. The populations have declined in some places, but overall the species is widespread and, according to the IUCN, “not endangered” ( least concern ). Iberian rollers are reservoirs for sleeping sickness .
Systematics
In the past, the leopard scooters were classified among the crawling cats , where they were thought to be relatives of the palm scooters . They differ, among other things, in the simple structure of the skull and the simple glands. Genetic studies have shown that they are not closely related to the crawling cats, but rather form an independent line within the feline species . Presumably they even represent the sister taxon of the other feline species and separated from them 54 to 36 million years ago.
The complete mitochondrial DNA was revealed.
literature
- 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 .
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- Wilson, DE, and DM Reeder: Mammal Species of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Alexandre Hassanin: The complete mitochondrial genome of the African palm civet, Nandinia binotata, the only representative of the family Nandiniidae (Mammalia, Carnivora). In: Mitochondrial DNA Part A , Volume 27, No. 2, 2016, pp. 904-905.
Web links
- Nandinia binotata onthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . Retrieved on June 17, 2009.