Bushy-tailed mongoose
Bushy-tailed mongoose | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | Herpestidae |
Genus: | Bdeogale |
Species: | B. crassicauda
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Binomial name | |
Bdeogale crassicauda Peters, 1852
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Bushy-tailed mongoose range (green - extant, pink - probably extant) |
The bushy-tailed mongoose (Bdeogale crassicauda) is a mammal in the family Herpestidae found in central Africa, from southern Kenya to central Mozambique.
Characteristics
The bushy-tailed mongoose has a greyish to yellowish brown fur. The underfur is dense, and the guard hairs are 5–45 mm (0.20–1.77 in) long. Its head is rounded.[2] It has short woolly ears and a plush muzzle. Its tail is wide and bushy.[3] Five individuals captured in Arusha National Park had a head-to-body length of 383–407 mm (15.1–16.0 in) with a 230 mm (9.1 in) long tail and a 74.9–77.7 mm (2.95–3.06 in) long feet; they weighed 1.273–1.3 kg (2.81–2.87 lb).[4]
Taxonomy
- B. c. crassicauda, central Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia
- B. c. nigrescens, Central Kenya (Nairobi)
- B. c. omnivora, found in northern coastal Tanzania and Kenya
- B. c. puisa, northern Mozambique and southern Tanzania
- B. c. tenuis
Phylogeny
The bushy tailed mongoose is closely related to the black-footed mongoose (Bdeogale nigripes). Perez's study of genes within the family Herpestidae showed the genus Bdeogale is monophyletic. Close cousins of this clade include the genera Ichneumia and Cynictis.[3]
Distribution and habitat
Because of the bushy-tailed mongoose's size and stealthiness, its range is not completely known. Although, it apparently prefers locations near rivers that provide cover.[2] The bushy-tailed mongoose inhabits foremost open shrubland and multilayered forest. These habitats vary little in temperature and humidity.[4] In northern Tanzania, the bushy-tailed mongoose was recorded in more than 31 camera trap locations in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Biharamulo-Burigi-Kimisi Game Reserve and Mahale Mountains National Park, mostly in Acacia woodlands and riparian zones.[5]
Conservation
The bushy-tailed mongoose is listed as
References
External links
- Bushy-tailed mongoose, Tanzanian Mammal Atlas Project