Slender mongoose
| Slender mongoose | ||||||||||||
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Slender mongoose ( Galerella sanguinea ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Galerella | ||||||||||||
| Gray , 1865 |
The slender mongoose ( Galerella ) are a genus of predators from the family of the mongooses (Herpestidae). The genus includes four species living in Africa .
anatomy
Slender mongooses are similar to the animals of the genus Herpestes , but are somewhat smaller and have differences in the structure of the skull and teeth. Slender mongooses reach a head body length of 27 to 42 centimeters, a tail length of 21 to 34 centimeters and a weight of 0.4 to 1.3 kilograms. All four species are roughly the same size. Your physique is slim and elongated, and your legs are relatively short. The color of their fur varies from yellowish to gray-brown, the underside is usually lighter.
Way of life
These animals inhabit a variety of habitats including sparse forests, grasslands, and semi-deserts, but avoid dense forests and deserts. They are diurnal and mainly stay on the ground, but can climb and swim well. In the midday heat and at night they retreat into hollow tree trunks or earthworks. They either live alone or in small family groups.
food
The diet of the slender mongoose consists of small vertebrates (such as small mammals, birds, lizards and snakes) as well as insects and other invertebrates. They hardly eat any fruit.
Reproduction
Once or several times a year, the female gives birth to one to three young animals after a gestation period of around 60 days. These are suckled for around 50 to 65 days and reach sexual maturity between one and two years.
Systematics
- The slender mongoose ( Galerella sanguinea ) is the best known kind. It is available throughout Africa south of the Sahara spread (with the exception of deserts and dense forests). Their coat color varies from reddish to yellowish to gray. The Namaqua mongoose ( Galerella swalius ), which is sometimes elevated to the rank of a species, is probably only a subspecies of the slender mongoose.
- The Somali mongoose ( Galerella ochracea ) is sometimes listed as a subspecies of the slender mongoose. It is endemic to Somalia .
- The Kaokoveld mongoose ( Galerella flavescens ) is native to Angola and Namibia . Little is known about their way of life.
- The Cape mongoose ( Galerella pulverulenta ) lives in the extreme south of Africa, in South Africa and Lesotho . It is characterized by a dark gray fur.
Hazardous situation
The four species of this genus are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN) in the Red List of Threatened Species , but all are designated as “Least Concern”. (They are placed here in the genus Herpestes; the generic name "Galerella" is regarded as a synonym)
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
- DE Wilson & DM Reeder: Mammal Species of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Herpestes flavescens , Herpestes ochraceus , Herpestes pulverulentus and Herpestes sanguineus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2010.