Bushy-tailed mongoose
{{short description|Species of mongoose from central Africa}}
{{speciesbox
| name = Bushy-tailed mongoose
| image = Bushy-tailed mongoose - Snapshot Safari Ruaha1.jpg
| image_caption =
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Bdeogale
| species = crassicauda
| authority = Peters, 1852
| range_map = Bushy-tailed Mongoose area.png
| range_map_caption = 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 {{convert|5-45|mm|abbr=on}} long. Its head is rounded.{{Cite journal |author=Taylor, M.E. |title=Bdeogale crassicauda |journal=Mammalian Species |date=1987 |issue=294 |pages=1–4 |doi=10.2307/3503826|jstor=3503826 }}
It has short woolly ears and a plush muzzle. Its tail is wide and bushy.{{Cite journal |author1=Perez, M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Li, B. |author3=Tiller, A. |author4=Cruaud, A. |author5=Veron, G. |title=Systematic Relationships of the Bushy-tailed and Black-footed Mongooses (genus Bdeogale, Herpestidae, Carnivora) Based on Molecular, Chromosomal and Morphological Evidence |year=2006 |journal=Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research |volume=44 |issue=3 |pages=251–259 |doi=10.1111/j.1439-0469.2006.00359.x}}
Five individuals captured in Arusha National Park had a head-to-body length of {{convert|383-407|mm|abbr=on}} with a {{convert|230|mm|abbr=on}} long tail and a {{convert|74.9-77.7|mm|abbr=on}} long feet; they weighed {{convert|1.273-1.3|kg|abbr=on}}.{{Cite journal |author=Martinoli, A. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Preatoni, D. |author3=Galanti, V. |author4=Codipietro, P. |author5=Kilewo, M. |author6=Fernandes, C.A.R. |author7=Wauters, L.A. |author8=Tosi, G. |title=Species Richness and Habitat Use of Small Carnivores in the Arusha National Park (Tanzania) |journal=Biodiversity & Conservation |volume=15 |pages=1729–1744 |doi=10.1007/s10531-004-5020-2 |year=2006|issue=5 |s2cid=24864567 }}
Taxonomy
- B. c. crassicauda, central Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia
- B. c. nigrescens, Central Kenya (Nairobi)
- 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.
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.
The bushy-tailed mongoose inhabits foremost open shrubland and multilayered forest. These habitats vary little in temperature and humidity.
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.{{Cite journal|author=Pettorelli |title=Carnivore biodiversity in Tanzania: Revealing the distribution patterns of secretive mammals using camera traps |journal=Animal Conservation |volume=13 |series=2 |issue=2 |pages=131–139 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-1795.2009.00309.x |year=2010 |s2cid=84216019}}
Conservation
The bushy-tailed mongoose is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It is negatively impacted by habitat degradation and fragmentation, prey depletion and land use dynamics caused by cattle grazing.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20140908131824/http://www.tanzaniamammals.org/content/mammal.php?id=MN8 Bushy-tailed mongoose], Tanzanian Mammal Atlas Project
{{Carnivora|F.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1017414}}