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Mongooses
A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family is currently split into two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to southern Europe, Africa and Asia, whereas the Mungotinae comprises 11 species native to Africa. The Herpestidae originated about in the Early Miocene and genetically diverged into two main genetic lineages between 19.1 and . Etymology The English word "mongoose" used to be spelled "mungoose" in the 18th and 19th centuries. The name is derived from names used in India for ''Herpestes'' species: or in classical Hindi; in Marathi; in Telugu; , and in Kannada. The form of the English name (since 1698) was altered to its "-goose" ending by folk etymology. The plural form is "mongooses". Characteristics Mongooses have long faces and bodies, small, rounded ears, short legs, and long, tapering tails. Most are brindled or grizzly; a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Gray Mongoose
The Indian grey mongoose (''Urva edwardsii'') is a mongoose species native to the Indian subcontinent and West Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The grey mongoose inhabits open forests, scrublands and cultivated fields, often close to human habitation. It lives in burrows, hedgerows and thickets, among groves of trees, and takes shelter under rocks or bushes and even in drains. It is bold and inquisitive but wary, seldom venturing far from cover. It is an excellent climber and usually lives singly or in pairs. Its prey includes rodents, snakes, birds’ eggs and hatchlings, lizards and a variety of invertebrates. Along the Chambal River it occasionally feeds on gharial eggs. It breeds throughout the year. Characteristics The Indian grey mongoose has tawny grey or iron grey fur, which is more grizzled and stiffer and coarser than that of other mongooses. The ruddiness of the coat varies in different subspecies, but it is described as appearing more grey ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slender Mongoose
The common slender mongoose (''Herpestes sanguineus''), also known as the black-tipped mongoose or the black-tailed mongoose, is a very common mongoose species native to sub-Saharan Africa. Taxonomy The scientific name ''Herpestes sanguineus'' was proposed by Eduard Rüppell in 1835 who described a reddish mongoose observed in the Kordofan region. Range and habitat The common slender mongoose, with up to fifty subspecies, are found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with the black mongoose of Angola and Namibia sometimes considered a separate species. They are adaptable and can live nearly anywhere in this wide range, but are most common in the savannah and semiarid plains. They are much rarer in densely forested areas and deserts. Description As the name suggests, the common slender mongoose has a lithe body of and a long tail of . Males weigh , while the smaller females weigh . The color of their fur varies widely between subspecies, from a dark reddish-brown to an orange re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Liberiictus
The Liberian mongoose (''Liberiictis kuhni'') is a mongoose species native to Liberia and Ivory Coast. It is the only member of the genus ''Liberiictis''. Phylogenetic analysis shows it is closely related to other small, social mongooses and that the banded mongoose is its closest relative. Description The Liberian mongoose has a primarily dark brown body, with a darker stripe on the neck and shoulders. This stripe is bordered by smaller stripes that are white. Compared with other mongoose species, the Liberian mongoose has rather long claws and an elongated snout with small teeth relative to the size of the skull. It has a bushy tapering tail, that is less than half of the length of the head and body. This is likely an adaptation of their specialized diet of earthworms. One of the few specimens ever seen alive was found in a burrow close to a termite nest. The animal's physical characteristics, and its preferred locality to insects, has led experts to suggest that the Liberia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galerella
''Herpestes'' is a genus within the mongoose family Herpestidae. Several species in the family are known as slender mongooses. It is the type genus of the family, and comprises 5-6 living species, each with several subspecies. Fossil remains of three prehistoric species were excavated in France, and described in 1853. Characteristics The living ''Herpestes'' species are sexually dimorphic, with females smaller than males. They range in weight from . They share several characteristics, including the shape of the cheek teeth and of the tympanic bullae, and the presence of the first upper molar teeth. They are all solitary. Males have one chromosome less than females, as one Y chromosome is translocated to an autosome. Classification The scientific name ''Herpestes'' was proposed by Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger in 1811 for mongoose species in the south of the Old World, commonly called "Ichneumon" at the time. Until 1835, 12 mongoose species from Africa and Asia were classified as b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herpestes
''Herpestes'' is a genus within the mongoose family Herpestidae. Several species in the family are known as slender mongooses. It is the type genus of the family, and comprises 5-6 living species, each with several subspecies. Fossil remains of three prehistoric species were excavated in France, and described in 1853. Characteristics The living ''Herpestes'' species are sexually dimorphic, with females smaller than males. They range in weight from . They share several characteristics, including the shape of the cheek teeth and of the tympanic bullae, and the presence of the first upper molar teeth. They are all solitary. Males have one chromosome less than females, as one Y chromosome is translocated to an autosome. Classification The scientific name ''Herpestes'' was proposed by Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger in 1811 for mongoose species in the south of the Old World, commonly called "Ichneumon" at the time. Until 1835, 12 mongoose species from Africa and Asia were classi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ichneumia
The white-tailed mongoose (''Ichneumia albicauda'') is a species in the mongoose family Herpestidae. It is the only member of the genus ''Ichneumia''. Taxonomy ''Herpestes albicaudus'' was the scientific name proposed by Georges Cuvier in 1829 for a mongoose specimen with a white tail from Senegal. The genus name ''Ichneumia'' was coined by Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1837. Characteristics The white-tailed mongoose attains a weight range of , with an average of approximately , has a head-and-body length of and a tail length of .Egi, N. (2001). ''Body mass estimates in extinct mammals from limb bone dimensions: the case of North American hyaenodontids''. Palaeontology, 44(3), 497-528. On average it appears to be the longest and heaviest extant species of mongoose, although its linear and body mass parameters broadly overlap with other larger mongoose species, in particular, the marsh mongoose seems to most closely rival (and possibly match) in range of body masses repo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yellow Mongoose
The yellow mongoose (''Cynictis penicillata''), sometimes referred to as the red meerkat, is a member of the mongoose family. It averages about in weight and about in length. It lives in open country, semi-desert scrubland and grasslands in Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. It is the only species in the genus ''Cynictis''. Taxonomy ''Herpestes penicillatus'' was the scientific name proposed by Georges Cuvier in 1829 for a mongoose specimen from the Cape. The generic name ''Cynictis'' was proposed by William Ogilby in 1833 for a specimen collected in Kaffraria. ''Cynictis penicillata'' is the only member of the genus, but as many as twelve subspecies of yellow mongoose have been described. Characteristics In general, the yellow mongoose has lighter highlights on the underbelly and chin, a bushy tail, and a complete lack of sexual dimorphism. Southern yellow mongooses are larger, have yellow or reddish fur, longer fur, and a longer tail with a characte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cynictis
The yellow mongoose (''Cynictis penicillata''), sometimes referred to as the red meerkat, is a member of the mongoose family. It averages about in weight and about in length. It lives in open country, semi-desert scrubland and grasslands in Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. It is the only species in the genus ''Cynictis''. Taxonomy ''Herpestes penicillatus'' was the scientific name proposed by Georges Cuvier in 1829 for a mongoose specimen from the Cape. The generic name ''Cynictis'' was proposed by William Ogilby in 1833 for a specimen collected in Kaffraria. ''Cynictis penicillata'' is the only member of the genus, but as many as twelve subspecies of yellow mongoose have been described. Characteristics In general, the yellow mongoose has lighter highlights on the underbelly and chin, a bushy tail, and a complete lack of sexual dimorphism. Southern yellow mongooses are larger, have yellow or reddish fur, longer fur, and a longer tail with a characte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Helogale
''Helogale'' is a genus of the mongoose family (Herpestidae). It consists of two species and 12 subspecies: Extant Species The helogales are the smallest species of mongooses and both are endemic to Africa. The distribution of the Ethiopian dwarf mongoose is more tropical, and overlaps completely with that of the common dwarf mongoose, which is more widespread. Both are social diurnal species, and due to their small sizes they are vulnerable to predation. Both species live independently of open water. References * The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals, 1997, Jonathan Kingdon. * Anne Rasa Olwen Anne Elisabeth Rasa (1940 – 15 November 2020) was a British ethologist, known for her long-duration study of the social behaviour of the dwarf mongoose in Kenya. She had studied aggression among coral reef fish under the pioneering ethol ...: ''Mongoose Watch: A Family Observed'', 1985, John Murray. Mongooses Taxa named by John Edward Gray {{carnivora-s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crossarchus
''Crossarchus'' is a mongoose genus, commonly referred to as kusimanse, often cusimanse, mangue, or dwarf mongoose. They are placed in the subfamily Mungotinae, which are small, highly social mongooses. Range and habitat Members of this genus are found in the swamplands and forests of central and western Africa, in the countries of Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Species Diet They feed on insects, larvae, small reptiles, crabs and berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp .... 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 domin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suricata
''Suricata'' is a genus of mongoose that is endemic to Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area .... The oldest species known is the extinct '' Suricata major'' that lived about 1.8 million years ago in South Africa. References {{Taxonbar, from=Q19817113 Mammal genera Mammal genera with one living species Taxa named by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest Mongooses ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carnivorous
A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other soft tissues) whether through hunting or scavenging. Nomenclature Mammal order The technical term for mammals in the order Carnivora is ''carnivoran'', and they are so-named because most member species in the group have a carnivorous diet, but the similarity of the name of the order and the name of the diet causes confusion. Many but not all carnivorans are meat eaters; a few, such as the large and small cats ( felidae) are ''obligate'' carnivores (see below). Other classes of carnivore are highly variable. The Ursids, for example: While the Arctic polar bear eats meat almost exclusively (more than 90% of its diet is meat), almost all other bear species are omnivorous, and one species, the giant panda, is nearly exclusively herbivo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
