Common Genet
Encyclopedia
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
from the order Carnivora
Carnivora
The diverse order Carnivora |Latin]] carō "flesh", + vorāre "to devour") includes over 260 species of placental mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word "carnivore" can refer to any meat-eating animal...
, related to civet
Civet
The family Viverridae is made up of around 30 species of medium-sized mammal, including all of the genets, the binturong, most of the civets, and the two African linsangs....
s and linsang
Linsang
The Asiatic linsangs are two species classified in the family Prionodontidae. There is one Southeast Asian genus, Prionodon.The Asiatic linsang and the African linsang formerly were placed in the subfamily Viverrinae , along with several other genera, but recent research suggests that their...
s. The most far-ranging of all the fourteen species of genet
Genet (animal)
Genets are Old World mammals from the order Carnivora, family Viverridae, related to civets and linsangs. All species are contained within the genus Genetta, although the Aquatic Genet is sometimes housed in its own genus Osbornictis....
, it can be found throughout Africa, parts of the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
, and parts of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Small populations exist that may have escaped from captivity in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Description
A secretive, nocturnal species, the Common Genet inhabits rocky terrain with caves, dense scrubland, pine forests, and marshland. This handsome, felineFeliformia
The Feliformia are a suborder within the order Carnivora and includes cats , hyenas, mongooses, civets and related taxa. The other suborder of Carnivora is Caniformia...
-looking animal, has a pale grey and black spotted coat, with a long striped tail. Like all genets, it has a small head, large ears and eyes, and short legs with retractable claws. Males are larger than females, and juveniles are darker grey.
Diet
The Common Genet has a varied diet, that consists of small mammals, lizards, birds, amphibians, insects and even fruit. The Wood MouseWood mouse
The wood mouse is a common murid rodent from Europe and northwestern Africa. It is closely related to the yellow-necked mouse but differs in that it has no band of yellow fur around the neck, has slightly smaller ears, and is usually slightly smaller overall: around 90 mm in length...
(Apodemus sylvaticus) is a favourite prey, but genets from the Balearics live chiefly on lizards. As genets are expert climbers, they also prey on Red Squirrel
Red Squirrel
The red squirrel or Eurasian red squirrel is a species of tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus common throughout Eurasia...
s (Sciurus vulgaris) and Dormice
Dormouse
Dormice are rodents of the family Gliridae. Dormice are mostly found in Europe, although some live in Africa and Asia. They are particularly known for their long periods of hibernation...
(Eliomys quercinus). Genets kill with a bite to the neck, like cats.
Interactions with Humans
This species is sometimes kept as an exotic pet in the U.S.A. and Asia.Common genets are often kept around because they aid in keeping vermin populations in check, especially in areas where crops can be negatively affected by pests. Common genets sometimes eat poultry and game birds; however, most humans do not consider genets to be a threat. Common genets are also currently in no danger of becoming endangered, as they are listed under least concern on the IUCN Red List.
Classification
Along with other viverrids, genets are considered to be the closest modern species to the extinct common ancestors of CarnivoraCarnivora
The diverse order Carnivora |Latin]] carō "flesh", + vorāre "to devour") includes over 260 species of placental mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word "carnivore" can refer to any meat-eating animal...
.
Subspecies
As many as 30 subspeciesSubspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Common Genet have been named, and many are under debate as to their validity. They include:
- Genetta genetta afra (North Africa)
- Genetta genetta balearica (Majorca, Balearic Islands)
- Genetta genetta felina
- Genetta genetta genetta
- Genetta genetta granti (Southwest Arabia)
- Genetta genetta hintoni
- Genetta genetta isabelae (Spain, Ibiza)
- Genetta genetta pulchra
- Genetta genetta pyrenaica (Pyrenees, France)
- Genetta genetta rhodanica
- Genetta genetta terraesanctae (Israel)
- Genetta genetta senegalensis (Spain, Sudan)