The Zanzibar servaline genet (''Genetta servalina archeri'') is a recently discovered

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

servaline genet The servaline genet (''Genetta servalina'') is a genet species native to Central Africa. As it is widely distributed and considered common, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Characteristics The servaline genet's fur is rufou ...

endemic to Unguja Island in the

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 ...

n archipelago of

Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islands ...

. Its conservation status is uncertain.

Evolutionary history

The closest known relative of the Zanzibar servaline genet is Lowe's servaline genet, ''G. s. lowei'', a subspecies which is found in the

Eastern Arc Mountains The Eastern Arc Mountains is a chain of mountains found in Kenya and Tanzania. The chain runs from northeast to southwest, with the Taita Hills being in Kenya and the other ranges being in Tanzania. They are delimited on the southwest by the fau ...

of mainland Tanzania. These two animals have presumably been evolving independently since at least the end of the last

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...

, when Unguja was separated from continental

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 ...

rising sea levels Rising may refer to: * Rising, a stage in baking - see Proofing (baking technique) *Elevation * Short for Uprising, a rebellion Film and TV * "Rising" (''Stargate Atlantis''), the series premiere of the science fiction television program ''Starga ...

. The survival of the servaline genet on the island parallels that of the endemic

Zanzibar leopard The Zanzibar leopard is an African leopard (''Panthera pardus pardus'') population on Unguja Island in the Zanzibar archipelago, Tanzania, that is considered extirpated due to persecution by local hunters and loss of habitat. It was the island's ...

, and the

Zanzibar red colobus The Zanzibar red colobus (''Piliocolobus kirkii'') is a species of red colobus monkey endemism, endemic to Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago, off the coast of Tanzania. It is also known as Kirk's red colobus after John Kirk (ex ...

Discovery and description

Although the servaline was known to rural Zanzibaris, zoologists remained unaware of its existence until the last decade of the 20th century. In 1995 Tony Archer, a wildlife consultant working in Zanzibar, acquired a dried skin and skull in the village of Kitogani, in south-central Unguja. This specimen was subsequently described as a new subspecies of servaline genet (''G. s. archeri''), named in honour of Archer. In January 2003 live Zanzibar servaline genets were photographed for the first time in nearby

Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park The Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park is a national park in Tanzania located on the island of Zanzibar. It is the only national park in Zanzibar. The Zanzibar red colobus, '' Procolobus kirkii'' (its population count is about 1000) found in the p ...

. Camera traps yielded pictures of servalines at four locations, two in groundwater forest in the heart of the park and two in dry scrub to the north-east. These photographs provided new information about the distribution of the genet and its physical characteristics.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2165789 Mammals of Tanzania Endemic fauna of Tanzania Genets (animals) Zanzibar Subspecies