Mad Mammal Monday!! As I was perusing the Carnivore part of the Mammals of Africa books, I came across the African Linsangs. I have not heard of these carnivores before, so I thought I may as well use this week’s Mad Mammal Monday to educate myself... So without further ado, I give you the African Linsangs (Genus: Poiana, Family: Viverridae). There are only two species in this genus: the West African Linsang (Poiana leightoni) and the Central African Linsang (Poiana richardsonii), also referred to as Oyans. They are very similar in appearance to the genets, but are generally smaller, have long bodies and short legs. Their coats are generally a yellowish colour with several dark markings (again similar to the genets) and sometimes a mid-dorsal line. The fur is soft and short with fine underfur. Their feet have five toes with sharp, retractable claws. Incidentally, there are also Asian Linsangs, but these are grouped as a sister taxon to the Felids, whereas the African Linsangs are grouped with the genets, having diverged from them during the mid to late Pliocene (roughly 4 million years ago). The West African Linsang has a very small distribution range, being endemic to the Upper Guinea forests of West Africa. In contrast, the Central African Linsang has a much wider distribution ranging from southern Cameroon and southern Central African Republic to Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo and the DR Congo up to the Rift Valley. Both these species inhabit the canopies of montane forests, being arboreal and nocturnal by nature. Their diet consists of anything ranging from rodents to nuts, birds and insects. They build nests of green material, at least two metres from the ground and the West African Linsang is known to occupy a nest for only a few days before building a new one in a different location. There is very little information available regarding the West African Linsang, which means that their IUCN status is Data Deficient, whereas the Central African Linsang is rated as Least Concern, however, both these species are hunted for bush meat, as well as increasing habitat fragmentation, so in all likelihood are suffering local declines in population numbers. Kingdon, J. & Hoffmann, M. (eds.) 2013. Mammals of Africa. Volume V: Carnivores, Pangolins, Equids and Rhinoceroses. Pp. 251-254. Bloomsbury Publishing, London. iucnredlist.org
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 10:27:05 +0000
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