Crossarchus
Crossarchus | |
---|---|
Common kusimanse (C. obscurus) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | Herpestidae |
Subfamily: | Mungotinae
|
Genus: | Crossarchus Cuvier, 1825 |
Type species | |
Crossarchus obscurus Cuvier, 1825
| |
Species | |
| |
Ranges of the four Crossarchus species
C. obscurus
C. platycephalus
C. alexandri
C. ansorgei
|
Crossarchus is a mongoose genus, commonly referred to as kusimanse, often cusimanse,[1][2] mangue, or dwarf mongoose. They are placed in the subfamily Mungotinae,[3] which are small, highly social mongooses.[1]
Range and habitat
Members of this genus are found in the
Species
Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
---|---|---|---|
Crossarchus alexandri | Alexander's kusimanse | Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda | |
Crossarchus ansorgei | Angolan kusimanse | Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola | |
Crossarchus obscurus | Common kusimanse | Ghana, Ivory Coast, Benin, Liberia, and Sierra Leone | |
Crossarchus platycephalus | Flat-headed kusimanse | Benin, Cameroon and Nigeria |
Diet
They feed on insects, larvae, small reptiles, crabs and berries. They use their claws and snouts for digging in leaf litter, under rotted trees and stones for the insects and larvae. They will also wade into shallow streams looking for freshwater crabs.
In most areas where members of Crossarchus live, they are the numerically dominant members of the forest carnivore community.[2]
Reproduction
Females are
Behavior
Crossarchus live in groups of 10 to 24. One to three families live in a group. The families are made up of the mating pair and the young. They are
Since the sociable kusimanses do not live in open habitat, they maintain contact in the dense rainforest understory by giving constant whistling calls while traveling.[1]
Local names
They are known in French as Mangouste brune and in German as Dunkelkusimanse.[citation needed]
References
- ^ ISBN 0787653624.
- ^ ISBN 0300084331.
- ISBN 9780521515290.
- ^ Olson, Annette Lynn (2001). The Behavior and Ecology of the Long-Nosed Mongoose, Crossarchus obscurus (PhD dissertation). Coral Gables: University of Miami.