The Angolan genet or miombo genet (''Genetta angolensis'')
is a
genet species
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No definition is agreed upon, but some groupings include the United Nations geoscheme for Africa, United Nations geoscheme, the intergovernmental Southern African Development Community, and ...
. It is considered common in this region and therefore listed as
Least Concern
A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...
in 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 an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...
.
[ Little is known about its ecology.]
Characteristics
The Angolan genet has long light brown coloured fur with dark spots and a continuous dark crested line across the back. Its throat and chest are light grey to greyish black. It has small spots on the front and shoulders. The spots are more numerous and slightly bigger on the sides. In head-to-body length, it ranges from . Its bushy long tail is ringed with a dark tip. Its legs are dark at the back. It has a dark grey face, a black muzzle and is white around the eyes and mouth. Its crest on the back is up to long. It is distinguished from the common genet by the black rather than white tip to the tail and more irregular blotching and spotting on the coat. Melanistic individuals have been recorded in some areas.
Distribution and habitat
The Angolan genet occurs in Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...
, Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
, Malawi
Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...
, Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...
, Tanzania
Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
, Zambia
Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...
and Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
. It lives in a variety of environments in its range, including both the local miombo woodlands and plains.[ During camera-trapping and transect surveys in Tanzania between 2007 and 2012, the Angolan genet was recorded north of Katavi National Park and in the Rukwa Region.][Fischer, C., Tagand, R. and Hausser, Y. (2013). Diversity and distribution of small carnivores in a miombo woodland within the Katavi region, Western Tanzania. Small Carnivore Conservation 48: 60–66.]
Threats
The Angolan genet is not considered threatened by habitat change, but might be negatively affected by road traffic.[
In Tanzania, traditional healers use the Angolan genet in their practices. Some individuals are poached for this practise.][
]
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q43217
Angolan genet
Mammals of Angola
Mammals of Zambia
Fauna of Southern Africa
Angolan genet