Linsangs
| Linsangs | ||||||||||||
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Fleckenlinsang ( Prionodon pardicolor ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the family | ||||||||||||
| Prionodontidae | ||||||||||||
| Pocock , 1933 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Prionodon | ||||||||||||
| Horsfield , 1822 |
The Linsangs ( Prionodon ) are a species of carnivore (Carnivora) living in Southeast Asia . In the past they were counted among the crawling cats (Viverridae), according to molecular genetic studies they form a family of their own, Prionodontidae. They are slender animals with long necks, whose fur is provided with spots or stripes. There are two types, the banded linsang ( P. linsang ) and the spotted linsang ( P. pardicolor )
description
Linsangs reach a head body length of 30 to 45 centimeters, the tail is with 30 to 40 centimeters slightly shorter than the trunk. Their weight is 0.6 to 1.2 kilograms. The basic color of their soft, dense fur is light gray to reddish brown, the belly is somewhat lighter. On the back there are five rows of dark spots arranged in stripes, which often have grown together to form ribbons during band linging. Two dark longitudinal stripes run along the neck, the flanks and the outside of the upper arms and thighs are dotted. The tail is densely hairy and provided with seven to nine dark rings, the tip can be whitish. Your physique is slim and elongated, the limbs are relatively short. The feet end in five toes, these have claws that can be pulled into claw sheaths. In contrast to the crawling cats, they have no perianal glands .
distribution and habitat
Linsangs live in Southeast Asia. Their distribution area extends from Nepal and eastern India over southern China and the Malay Peninsula to the islands of Borneo and Java . Their habitat consists primarily of rainforests and , to a lesser extent, other forms of forest. Linsangs can be found from sea level up to 2700 meters above sea level.
Way of life
Linsangs are mainly nocturnal. During the day they sleep in trees, for example in tree hollows or hollow tree trunks. At night they go in search of food, often on the ground. They are good at climbing and jumping and they always move upside down down the tree trunks. The front paws are plantigrad (sole walker) and the hind paws digitigrad (toe walker).
Little is known about their social behavior due to their shy, nocturnal lifestyle, and they probably live solitary. The area is marked with urine and excrement, and they rub their shoulders, neck and flanks on objects to leave their scent marks.
They are carnivores that feed on rodents , birds , lizards , snakes , frogs , insects, and other small animals. Sometimes they also eat carrion. Smaller prey animals are killed with one bite in the neck, larger ones are pressed down with the front paws and shot with several bites.
The female usually gives birth to two young animals once or twice a year between February and August. The band linsangs weigh around 40 grams at birth and are fully grown after four months. Life expectancy in human care can be over 10 years.
Danger
There are relatively few sightings of linsangs, information on the degree of danger is difficult due to their shy lifestyle. The main danger is the destruction of their habitat. It is not known to what extent they can survive in partially cleared forests or secondary forests . In the past they were hunted for their fur, today they are protected in most of their range. Both species are widespread and, despite rare observations, relatively common. The IUCN lists both species as "not endangered" ( least concern ).
Systematics
In the past, the linsangs were counted among the crawling cats (Viverridae), where they were either placed in the subfamily of the civet cats (Viverrinae) or in their own subfamily, Prionodontinae. The genus Pojanas or African Linsangs ( Poiana ) were considered to be particularly close relatives . According to molecular genetic studies by Gaubert and Veron 2003, however, the linsangs are not very closely related to the crawling cats, but rather form a separate branch that represents the sister group of cats . Through morphological investigations by Gaubert et al. In 2005 these results were confirmed. The missing perianal glands and the cat-like teeth are characteristics of the close relationship to cats.
There are two types:
- The banded linsang ( Prionodon linsang ) has a slightly lighter coat, the spots are often fused together to form bands. It has the southern distribution area, namely the Malay Peninsula and the Southeast Asian islands.
- The Fleckenlinsang ( Prionodon pardicolor ) has a rather orange-brown fur, its spots are not connected. The species inhabits mainland Southeast Asia, from eastern India to southern China to Vietnam and northern Thailand.
According to the molecular clock , the linsangs separated from cats around 42 million years ago, and the two species diverged around 13 million years ago. With Palaeoprionodon a fossil representative from the upper Oligocene is known, which already resembled today's Linsangs.
literature
- Philippe Gaubert: Family Prionodontidae (Linsangs). In: 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 , pp. 170-174.
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore Md. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- ^ P. Gaubert and G. Veron: Exhaustive sample set among Viverridae reveals the sister-group of felids: the linsangs as a case of extreme morphological convergence within Feliformia. In: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Biological Sciences 270 (2003), pp. 2523-2530. PMC 1691530 (free full text)
- ^ P. Gaubert, W. Wozencraft, P. Cordeiro-Estrela and G. Veron: Mosaics of convergences and noise in morphological phylogenies: What's in a viverrid-like carnivoran ?. In: Systematic Biology, 54 (6), 2005, pp. 865-894. PDF ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
