Marsh mongoose
Marsh mongoose | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | Herpestidae |
Subfamily: | Herpestinae
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Genus: | Atilax |
Species: | A. paludinosus
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Binomial name | |
Atilax paludinosus G. Cuvier, 1829
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The marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus), also called water mongoose
Taxonomy
The
Characteristics
The marsh mongoose's
Females measure 48.72 cm (19.18 in) in head-to-body length, and males 51.38 cm (20.23 in), with a 32.18–34.11 cm (12.67–13.43 in) long tail. In weight, adults range from 2.56 to 2.95 kg (5.6 to 6.5 lb). Both sexes have anal glands in a pouch that produce a musky smelling secretion.[8]
Female marsh mongooses have 36 chromosomes, and males 35, as one Y chromosome is translocated to an autosome.[9]
Distribution and habitat
The marsh mongoose occurs across much of sub-Saharan Africa from
In Guinea's National Park of Upper Niger, it was recorded during surveys conducted in 1996 to 1997.[11] In Gabon's Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, it was recorded only in forested habitats during a two-months survey in 2012.[12]
In the Ethiopian Highlands, it was recorded at an elevation of 3,950 m (12,960 ft) in Bale Mountains National Park.[13]
Behaviour and ecology
The marsh mongoose is primarily a solitary species.[2] It is an excellent swimmer and can dive for up to 15 seconds, using its feet to paddle. On land, it usually trots slowly, but can also move fast.[14]
Feeding behaviour and diet
Feeding behaviour of eight captive marsh mongooses was studied in 1984. When the mongooses sighted prey in the water, they swam or walked towards it, used their digits to seek it out, but kept their heads above water. Once located, they grabbed it with the mouth and killed it outside the water. They killed rodents and frogs by biting them in the head, and occasionally also shook them. When finished eating, they wiped their mouths with the forefeet. They broke eggs by throwing them backwards between the legs.[2] Scat of marsh mongooses collected around
Reproduction
After a gestation of 69 to 80 days, females give birth to a litter of two to three young, which are fully furred. Their eyes open between the 9th and 14th day, pupils are bluish at first and change to brown at the age of three weeks. Their ear canal opens between the 17th and 28th day. Females start weaning their offspring earliest on the 30th day, and young are fully weaned by the age of two months.[20]
Threats
In 2006, it was estimated that about 950 marsh mongooses are hunted annually in the Cameroon part of the Cross–Sanaga–Bioko coastal forests.[21]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ a b c Baker, C. M. (1989). "Feeding habits of the water mongoose (Atilax paludinosus)" (PDF). Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde. 54 (1): 31–39.
- ^ Cuvier, F. G. (1826). "Vansire". In E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire; F. G. Cuvier (eds.). Histoire Naturelle des Mammifères : avec des figures originales, coloriées, dessinées d'aprèsdes animaux vivans. Tome 5. Paris: A. Belin. p. LIV.
- ^ Cuvier, G. (1829). "Les Mangoustes. Cuv. (Herpestes, Illiger)". Le règne animal distribué d'après son organisation, pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparée. Paris: Chez Déterville. pp. 157–158.
- OCLC 62265494.
- ^ Brain, C.K. (1983). The Hunters Or the Hunted? An Introduction to African Cave Taphonomy. University of Chicago Press. p. 166.
- ^ ISBN 9781408189962.
- JSTOR 3504291. Archived from the original(PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
- S2CID 32364326.
- S2CID 162594865.
- .
- .
- .
- JSTOR 1378530.
- .
- .
- S2CID 84540490.
- ^ Louw, C. J.; Nel, J. A. J. (1986). "Diets of coastal and inland-dwelling water mongoose" (PDF). South African Journal of Wildlife Research. 16 (4): 153–156.
- S2CID 55589137. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2017-08-17. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
- ^ Baker, C. M.; Meester, J. (1986). "Postnatal physical development of the Water mongoose (Atilax paludinosus)" (PDF). Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde. 51 (4): 236–243.
- .