The bushy-tailed mongoose (''Bdeogale crassicauda'') is a

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

in the family

Herpestidae 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 so ...

found in

central Africa Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, ...

, from southern

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

to central

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

Characteristics

The bushy-tailed mongoose has a greyish to yellowish brown fur. The underfur is dense, and the

guard hair Guard hair or overhair is the outer layer of hair of most mammals, which overlay the fur. Guard hairs are long and coarse and protect the rest of the pelage (fur) from abrasion and frequently from moisture. They are visible on the surface of the fu ...

s are long. Its head is rounded. It has short woolly ears and a plush muzzle. Its tail is wide and bushy. Five individuals captured in

Arusha National Park Arusha National Park covers Mount Meru, a prominent volcano with an elevation of 4566 m, in the Arusha Region of north eastern Tanzania. The park is small but varied with spectacular landscapes in three distinct areas. In the west, the Meru Crate ...

had a head-to-body length of with a long tail and a long feet; they weighed .

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 The black-footed mongoose (''Bdeogale nigripes'') is a mongoose species native to Central Africa, where it inhabits deep deciduous forests from eastern Nigeria to the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has been listed as Least Concern ...

(''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 Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

, the bushy-tailed mongoose was recorded in more than 31

camera trap A camera trap is a camera that is automatically triggered by a change in some activity in its vicinity, like presence of an animal or a human being. It is typically equipped with a motion sensor – usually a passive infrared (PIR) sensor ...

locations in

Ngorongoro Conservation Area The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (, ) is a protected area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Ngorongoro District, west of Arusha City in Arusha Region, within the Crater Highlands geological area of northern Tanzania. The area is nam ...

, Biharamulo-Burigi-Kimisi Game Reserve and Mahale Mountains National Park, mostly in

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...

woodlands and riparian zones.

Conservation

The bushy-tailed mongoose is listed as

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

. It is negatively impacted by

habitat degradation Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

and fragmentation, prey depletion and land use dynamics caused by cattle grazing.

References

External links

Bushy-tailed mongoose
Tanzanian Mammal Atlas Project {{Taxonbar, from=Q1017414

bushy-tailed mongoose 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. Th ...

Mammals of Malawi Mammals of Mozambique Mammals of Tanzania Mammals of Zimbabwe Fauna of East Africa