Jackson's Mongoose
Encyclopedia
Jackson's Mongoose is a species
of mongoose
belonging to the genus Bdeogale
. Discovered in 1889 by Frederick John Jackson, Oldfield Thomas
in 1894 described it as Galeriscus jacksoni. It is most closely related to the Black-footed Mongoose
of the same subgenus Galeriscus and both are sometimes united in a single species.
With a head and body length of more than 50 centimeters and a body weight of two to three kilograms it is a large mongoose. Its long and dense fur is grizzled black and white, the cheeks, the throat and the sides of the neck are very yellowish, the legs are dark brown or black and the bushy tail is white.
Jackson's Mongoose feeds on rodent
s and insect
s, especially on army ant
s, is mainly nocturnal and crepuscular
and possibly solitary. Its distributional range in Kenya
, Uganda
and Tanzania
is limited to some arboreous mountain regions. It appears to be rare and in 2008 the IUCN classified it as Near Threatened
.
two to three kilograms.
Young but already breeding animals may be markedly smaller than adult
s. From the Black-footed Mongoose it is distinguishable by its much longer fur, especially on the tail, and yellowish tints on the neck and the throat.
The long and dense dorsal fur
is grizzled black and white. The dorsal hairs are 20 millimeters long with black and white rings. The muzzle and the chin are brownish white and the cheeks, the throat and the sides of the neck are very yellowish. The legs are dark brown or black and the tail is white. The ventral side is light gray and the underfur is dense and woolly. The pinnae are round and broad and the muzzle
is blunt. The rhinarium
is large and the hairless extension of the median groove divides the upper lip. The fore- and hindfeet have only four digits
. Hallux and pollex are absent as is common with Bdeogale. The soles
are naked and the claw
s are thick and strong.
The dentition
of Jackson's Mongoose is typical for mongooses. There are three incisor
s, one canine
, four premolar
s and two molars
on either side of each jaw. The total number of teeth is 40 and the dental formula is .
of Jackson's Mongoose are montane forests, bamboo
zones and lowland forests in mountain vicinity. Its population density
is low.
It probably hunts
frequently in the thick herbaceous
growth around swamp
s.
Jackson's Mongoose is carnivorous
, insectivorous
and myrmecophagous
. In the Aberdare Mountains the volume of food items in 40 scats
was over 50 percent rodent
s including Otomys
, Dasymys
and Praomys
and 40 percent insect
s, mostly army ants of the genus Anomma, but also weevil
s, other beetle
s and caterpillar
s. Millipede
s, snail
s, lizard
s and the eggs of snake
s were also consumed. About 80 percent of the juveniles
' diet were rodents including Otomys, brush-furred mice
, true mice
and Praomys. They also fed on beetles, lizards, bird
s and a few ants.
Coping with columns of army ant
s may depend on maturity and learning, which suggests a recent evolutionary adaptation
to this diet.
Jackson's Mongoose is mainly nocturnal and crepuscular
.
In the Udzungwa Mountains 73 percent of 25 photos taken by camera trap
s during the night were shot between 7 p.m. and midnight. It is possibly solitary but often seen in pairs and occasionally in groups of four. Nothing is known about its reproduction.
of Jackson's Mongoose is very limited.
It is known from central and southern Kenya
, southeastern Uganda
and the Udzungwa Mountains
900 kilometers to the south in central Tanzania
,
where it was first recorded in 2001/02.
In the Aberdare Range
, the Mount Kenya
massif and the Mount Elgon
massif it occurs at elevations up to 3300 meters above sea level.
In the Udzungwa Mountains it seems highly localized and has only been recorded within Matunda Forest at a maximum of 2.65 kilometers apart.
It possibly inhabits other massifs of the Eastern Arc Mountains
including the Uluguru Mountains
, the Nguru Mountains
and the Usambara Mountains
.
of the genus Bdeogale
. It is most closely related to the Black-footed Mongoose
(Bdeogale nigripes),
from which it is distinguished by skull and skin differences
and as whose mountain isolate
it is often treated.
Both are sometimes united in the species Bdeogale nigripes
or in the subgenus Galeriscus,
or they are separated from Bdeogale as distinct genus Galeriscus.
Jackson's Mongoose is treated as a separate species by
Allen (1939),
Rosevear (1974),
Corbet and Hill (1980),
Honacki et al. (1982),
Nowak and Paradiso (1983),
Corbet and Hill (1986),
Schliemann (1988),
Corbet and Hill (1991),
Nowak (1991),
Wozencraft (1993),
Kingdon (1997),
Nowak (1999),
Pavlinov (2003),
Wozencraft (2005),
Van Rompaey et al. (2008)
and Gilchrist et al. (2009).
Kingdon (1977) treats it as a subspecies of the Black-footed Mongoose
and Dücker (1972) also considers them conspecific
.
No subspecies
of Jackson's Mongoose have been described.
in June 1894 described Jackson's Mongoose as type species
Galeriscus jacksoni of the new genus Galeriscus.
He specified the type locality as Mianzini in the land of the Maasai at an elevation of 8000 feet (2438 meters) above sea level. Reginald Ernest Moreau
, George Henry Evans Hopkins and R. W. Hayman in 1945/46 restricted the type locality at Mianzini to a few miles east-southeast of Lake Naivasha
, on the southern end of the Kinangop Plateau and to an elevation of 9000 feet (2743 meters).
Frederick John Jackson discovered Jackson's Mongoose in 1889
and in 1894 sent a skin without skull to the British Museum
in London.
Led astray by the poor and incomplete type specimen, Thomas originally believed it to be related to the grisons
.
Paul Matschie
in 1895 named it Massaimarder (German, "Maasai marten")
but was the first to recognize it as a Bdeogale.
Reginald Innes Pocock
in 1916, too, considered Galeriscus a synonym of Bdeogale.
Ned Hollister
in 1918 assumed it to be a geographic subspecies of the Black-footed Mongoose.
There is no reliable data on its population, though. The International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2008 classified it as Near Threatened
, almost qualifying as Threatened
. This was justified with its assumed decline in population size
of 20 to 25 percent within the last 15 years due to habitat destruction
. Given its dependence on forest habitat, its main threat is likely to be ongoing forest loss. It was classified as Insufficiently Known in 1988, 1990 and 1994 and as Vulnerable
in 1996.
Several populations of Jackson's Mongoose are in protected area
s including Aberdare National Park
, Mount Kenya National Park
, probably Mount Elgon National Park
and Udzungwa Mountains National Park
. In Tanzania all confirmed localities are within protected areas. It is also probably more widely distributed than currently known. De Luca and Rovero (2006) recommend the full protection of forests adjacent to the Udzungwa Mountains National Park and a survey of other East African groundwater-dependent forests for its presence.
—with distribution map
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of mongoose
Mongoose
Mongoose are a family of 33 living species of small carnivorans from southern Eurasia and mainland Africa. Four additional species from Madagascar in the subfamily Galidiinae, which were previously classified in this family, are also referred to as "mongooses" or "mongoose-like"...
belonging to the genus Bdeogale
Bdeogale
Bdeogale is a genus of three species of mongoose native to the rainforests of central and western Africa. They are primarily terrestrial and insectivorous.- Species :*Bushy-tailed Mongoose, Bdeogale crassicauda - Kenya and Tanzania...
. Discovered in 1889 by Frederick John Jackson, Oldfield Thomas
Oldfield Thomas
Oldfield Thomas FRS was a British zoologist.Thomas worked at the Natural History Museum on mammals, describing about 2,000 new species and sub-species for the first time. He was appointed to the Museum Secretary's office in 1876, transferring to the Zoological Department in 1878...
in 1894 described it as Galeriscus jacksoni. It is most closely related to the Black-footed Mongoose
Black-footed Mongoose
The Black-footed Mongoose is a species of Mongoose found in central Africa. Unlike most similar species, the black-footed mongoose has only 4 toes on each limb rather than 5.-References:...
of the same subgenus Galeriscus and both are sometimes united in a single species.
With a head and body length of more than 50 centimeters and a body weight of two to three kilograms it is a large mongoose. Its long and dense fur is grizzled black and white, the cheeks, the throat and the sides of the neck are very yellowish, the legs are dark brown or black and the bushy tail is white.
Jackson's Mongoose feeds on rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, especially on army ant
Army ant
The name army ant is applied to over 200 ant species, in different lineages, due to their aggressive predatory foraging groups, known as "raids", in which huge numbers of ants forage simultaneously over a certain area, attacking prey en masse.Another shared feature is that, unlike most ant...
s, is mainly nocturnal and crepuscular
Crepuscular
Crepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight, that is during dawn and dusk. The word is derived from the Latin word crepusculum, meaning "twilight." Crepuscular is, thus, in contrast with diurnal and nocturnal behavior. Crepuscular animals may also be active on a bright...
and possibly solitary. Its distributional range in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
and Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
is limited to some arboreous mountain regions. It appears to be rare and in 2008 the IUCN classified it as Near Threatened
Near Threatened
Near Threatened is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status...
.
Body features
Jackson's Mongoose is a large mongoose with a bushy tail. Its head and body length is 50.8 to 57.1 centimeters, its tail length 28.3 to 32.4 centimeters, its hindfoot length 8.6 to 10.8 centimeters, its ear length 2.3 to 3.5 centimeters and its body weightBody weight
The term body weight is used in daily English speech as well as in the contexts of biological and medical sciences to describe the mass of an organism's body. Body weight is measured in kilograms throughout the world, although in some countries it is still measured in pounds or stones and pounds...
two to three kilograms.
Young but already breeding animals may be markedly smaller than adult
Adult
An adult is a human being or living organism that is of relatively mature age, typically associated with sexual maturity and the attainment of reproductive age....
s. From the Black-footed Mongoose it is distinguishable by its much longer fur, especially on the tail, and yellowish tints on the neck and the throat.
The long and dense dorsal fur
Fur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
is grizzled black and white. The dorsal hairs are 20 millimeters long with black and white rings. The muzzle and the chin are brownish white and the cheeks, the throat and the sides of the neck are very yellowish. The legs are dark brown or black and the tail is white. The ventral side is light gray and the underfur is dense and woolly. The pinnae are round and broad and the muzzle
Snout
The snout, or muzzle, is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw.-Terminology:The term "muzzle", used as a noun, can be ambiguous...
is blunt. The rhinarium
Rhinarium
The rhinarium is the moist, naked surface around the nostrils of the nose in most mammals. In actual scientific usage it is typically called a "wet snout" or "wet nose" from its moist and shiny appearance...
is large and the hairless extension of the median groove divides the upper lip. The fore- and hindfeet have only four digits
Digit (anatomy)
A digit is one of several most distal parts of a limb, such as fingers or toes, present in many vertebrates.- Names:Some languages have different names for hand and foot digits ....
. Hallux and pollex are absent as is common with Bdeogale. The soles
Sole (foot)
The sole is the bottom of the foot.In humans the sole of the foot is anatomically referred to as the plantar aspect. The equivalent surface in ungulates is the hoof.- Human sole :...
are naked and the claw
Claw
A claw is a curved, pointed appendage, found at the end of a toe or finger in most mammals, birds, and some reptiles. However, the word "claw" is also often used in reference to an invertebrate. Somewhat similar fine hooked structures are found in arthropods such as beetles and spiders, at the end...
s are thick and strong.
The dentition
Dentition
Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age...
of Jackson's Mongoose is typical for mongooses. There are three incisor
Incisor
Incisors are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and mandible below.-Function:...
s, one canine
Canine tooth
In mammalian oral anatomy, the canine teeth, also called cuspids, dogteeth, fangs, or eye teeth, are relatively long, pointed teeth...
, four premolar
Premolar
The premolar teeth or bicuspids are transitional teeth located between the canine and molar teeth. In humans, there are two premolars per quadrant, making eight premolars total in the mouth. They have at least two cusps. Premolars can be considered as a 'transitional tooth' during chewing, or...
s and two molars
Molar (tooth)
Molars are the rearmost and most complicated kind of tooth in most mammals. In many mammals they grind food; hence the Latin name mola, "millstone"....
on either side of each jaw. The total number of teeth is 40 and the dental formula is .
Habitat and habits
The habitatHabitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
of Jackson's Mongoose are montane forests, bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
zones and lowland forests in mountain vicinity. Its population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
is low.
It probably hunts
Predation
In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey . Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption...
frequently in the thick herbaceous
Herbaceous plant
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
growth around swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s.
Jackson's Mongoose is carnivorous
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
, insectivorous
Insectivore
An insectivore is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures. An alternate term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of eating insects....
and myrmecophagous
Myrmecophagy
Myrmecophagy is a feeding behavior defined by the consumption of termites or ants, particularly in those animal species whose diets are largely or exclusively composed of said insect types....
. In the Aberdare Mountains the volume of food items in 40 scats
Feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
was over 50 percent rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s including Otomys
Otomys
African vlei rats , also known as groove-toothed rats, live in many areas of sub-Saharan Africa. They live in marshlands and grasslands, and eat the green grass and herbs that grow there, occasionally supplementing this with roots and seeds...
, Dasymys
Dasymys
Dasymys is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae.It contains the following species:* Glover Allen's Shaggy Rat * Crawford-Cabral's Shaggy Rat * Fox's Shaggy Rat...
and Praomys
Praomys
Praomys is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae.It contains the following species:* Praomys coetzeei* Dalton's Mouse, Praomys daltoni* De Graaff's Soft-furred Mouse, Praomys degraaffi...
and 40 percent insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, mostly army ants of the genus Anomma, but also weevil
Weevil
A weevil is any beetle from the Curculionoidea superfamily. They are usually small, less than , and herbivorous. There are over 60,000 species in several families, mostly in the family Curculionidae...
s, other beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
s and caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s. Millipede
Millipede
Millipedes are arthropods that have two pairs of legs per segment . Each segment that has two pairs of legs is a result of two single segments fused together as one...
s, snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
s, lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
s and the eggs of snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s were also consumed. About 80 percent of the juveniles
Juvenile (organism)
A juvenile is an individual organism that has not yet reached its adult form, sexual maturity or size. Juveniles sometimes look very different from the adult form, particularly in terms of their colour...
' diet were rodents including Otomys, brush-furred mice
Brush-furred mouse
The brush-furred mice, genus Lophuromys are a peculiar group of rodents found in sub-Saharan Africa. They are members of the subfamily Deomyinae, a group only identifiable through molecular analysis...
, true mice
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
and Praomys. They also fed on beetles, lizards, bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s and a few ants.
Coping with columns of army ant
Army ant
The name army ant is applied to over 200 ant species, in different lineages, due to their aggressive predatory foraging groups, known as "raids", in which huge numbers of ants forage simultaneously over a certain area, attacking prey en masse.Another shared feature is that, unlike most ant...
s may depend on maturity and learning, which suggests a recent evolutionary adaptation
Adaptation
An adaptation in biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. An adaptation refers to both the current state of being adapted and to the dynamic evolutionary process that leads to the adaptation....
to this diet.
Jackson's Mongoose is mainly nocturnal and crepuscular
Crepuscular
Crepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight, that is during dawn and dusk. The word is derived from the Latin word crepusculum, meaning "twilight." Crepuscular is, thus, in contrast with diurnal and nocturnal behavior. Crepuscular animals may also be active on a bright...
.
In the Udzungwa Mountains 73 percent of 25 photos taken by camera trap
Camera trap
A camera trap is a remotely activated camera that is equipped with a motion sensor or an infrared sensor, or uses a light beam as a trigger. Camera trapping is a method for capturing wild animals on film when researchers are not present, and has been used in ecological research for decades...
s during the night were shot between 7 p.m. and midnight. It is possibly solitary but often seen in pairs and occasionally in groups of four. Nothing is known about its reproduction.
Distribution
The distributional rangeRange (biology)
In biology, the range or distribution of a species is the geographical area within which that species can be found. Within that range, dispersion is variation in local density.The term is often qualified:...
of Jackson's Mongoose is very limited.
It is known from central and southern Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, southeastern Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
and the Udzungwa Mountains
Udzungwa Mountains
The Udzungwa Mountains are a mountain range south east of Dodoma in Tanzania and are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains. They are covered with tropical rainforest, mountain forest, miombo woodland, grassland, steppe and are home to many large mammals, including the Udzungwa Red Colobus and Tana...
900 kilometers to the south in central Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
,
where it was first recorded in 2001/02.
In the Aberdare Range
Aberdare Range
The Aberdare Range is a 160 km long mountain range of upland, north of Kenya's capital Nairobi with an average elevation of . It is located in west central Kenya, northeast of Naivasha and Gilgil and just south of the Equator...
, the Mount Kenya
Mount Kenya
Mount Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian , Nelion and Point Lenana . Mount Kenya is located in central Kenya, just south of the equator, around north-northeast of the capital Nairobi...
massif and the Mount Elgon
Mount Elgon
Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu and west of Kitale.- Physical features :It is the oldest and largest solitary volcano in East Africa, covering an area of around 3500 km²....
massif it occurs at elevations up to 3300 meters above sea level.
In the Udzungwa Mountains it seems highly localized and has only been recorded within Matunda Forest at a maximum of 2.65 kilometers apart.
It possibly inhabits other massifs of the Eastern Arc Mountains
Eastern Arc Mountains
The Eastern Arc Mountains are a chain of mountains found in Kenya and Tanzania. It comprises:* Taita Hills* North and South Pare* East and West Usambara* North and South Nguru* Ukaguru* Uluguru Mountains* Rubeho* Udzungwa Mountains* Mahenge Escarpment...
including the Uluguru Mountains
Uluguru Mountains
The Uluguru Mountains are a mountain range in eastern Tanzania, Africa, named after the Luguru tribe. The main Uluguru Mountains is a ridge running approximately north-south and rising to 2,630 m altitude at its highest point...
, the Nguru Mountains
Nguru Mountains
The Nguru Mountains are a mountain range in Morogoro District, Tanzania, Africa. The mountains are predominantly covered with rainforest, are abundant with 83 species of bird life , and are the home of African violets...
and the Usambara Mountains
Usambara Mountains
The Usambara Mountains are a mountain range in North-East Tanzania, approximately long and ranging from 20 to in width. Mountains in the range rise as high as 8,000 ft ....
.
Classification
Jackson's Mongoose is usually considered a speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of the genus Bdeogale
Bdeogale
Bdeogale is a genus of three species of mongoose native to the rainforests of central and western Africa. They are primarily terrestrial and insectivorous.- Species :*Bushy-tailed Mongoose, Bdeogale crassicauda - Kenya and Tanzania...
. It is most closely related to the Black-footed Mongoose
Black-footed Mongoose
The Black-footed Mongoose is a species of Mongoose found in central Africa. Unlike most similar species, the black-footed mongoose has only 4 toes on each limb rather than 5.-References:...
(Bdeogale nigripes),
from which it is distinguished by skull and skin differences
and as whose mountain isolate
Genetic isolate
A genetic isolate is population of organisms that has little genetic mixing with other organisms within the same species. This may result in speciation, but this is not necessarily the case...
it is often treated.
Both are sometimes united in the species Bdeogale nigripes
or in the subgenus Galeriscus,
or they are separated from Bdeogale as distinct genus Galeriscus.
Jackson's Mongoose is treated as a separate species by
Allen (1939),
Rosevear (1974),
Corbet and Hill (1980),
Honacki et al. (1982),
Nowak and Paradiso (1983),
Corbet and Hill (1986),
Schliemann (1988),
Corbet and Hill (1991),
Nowak (1991),
Wozencraft (1993),
Kingdon (1997),
Nowak (1999),
Pavlinov (2003),
Wozencraft (2005),
Van Rompaey et al. (2008)
and Gilchrist et al. (2009).
Kingdon (1977) treats it as a subspecies of the Black-footed Mongoose
and Dücker (1972) also considers them conspecific
Conspecificity
Conspecificity is a concept in biology. Two or more individual organisms, populations, or taxa are conspecific if they belong to the same species....
.
No subspecies
Subspecies
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 Jackson's Mongoose have been described.
Nomenclature
Oldfield ThomasOldfield Thomas
Oldfield Thomas FRS was a British zoologist.Thomas worked at the Natural History Museum on mammals, describing about 2,000 new species and sub-species for the first time. He was appointed to the Museum Secretary's office in 1876, transferring to the Zoological Department in 1878...
in June 1894 described Jackson's Mongoose as type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
Galeriscus jacksoni of the new genus Galeriscus.
He specified the type locality as Mianzini in the land of the Maasai at an elevation of 8000 feet (2438 meters) above sea level. Reginald Ernest Moreau
Reginald Ernest Moreau
Reginald Ernest Moreau, , was an English ornithologist.Moreau was among the pioneering ornithologists who focused on life history studies of birds. In 1944 he suggested in a paper in the Ibis that birds laid larger clutches of eggs in the higher latitudes than in the tropics. This was based on his...
, George Henry Evans Hopkins and R. W. Hayman in 1945/46 restricted the type locality at Mianzini to a few miles east-southeast of Lake Naivasha
Lake Naivasha
Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake in Kenya, lying north west of Nairobi, outside the town of Naivasha. It is part of the Great Rift Valley. The name derives from the local Maasai name Nai'posha, meaning "rough water" because of the sudden storms which can arise...
, on the southern end of the Kinangop Plateau and to an elevation of 9000 feet (2743 meters).
Frederick John Jackson discovered Jackson's Mongoose in 1889
and in 1894 sent a skin without skull to the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
in London.
Led astray by the poor and incomplete type specimen, Thomas originally believed it to be related to the grisons
Galictis
The grison, also known as the South American glutton, is a neotropical mustelid of South America. Comprising the genus Galictis, it is divided into two species: the greater grison , which is found widely in South America, through Central America to southern Mexico; and the lesser grison , which is...
.
Paul Matschie
Paul Matschie
Paul Matschie was a German zoologist. He worked at the Zoological Museum in Berlin....
in 1895 named it Massaimarder (German, "Maasai marten")
but was the first to recognize it as a Bdeogale.
Reginald Innes Pocock
Reginald Innes Pocock
Reginald Innes Pocock F.R.S. was a British zoologist.Pocock was born in Clifton, Bristol, the fourth son of Rev. Nicholas Pocock and Edith Prichard. He began showing interest in natural history at St. Edward's School, Oxford. He received tutoring in zoology from Sir Edward Poulton, and was allowed...
in 1916, too, considered Galeriscus a synonym of Bdeogale.
Ned Hollister
Ned Hollister
Ned Hollister was an American biologist primarily known for studying mammals. From 1916 until his death he was Superintendent of the National Zoological Park...
in 1918 assumed it to be a geographic subspecies of the Black-footed Mongoose.
Population and conservation
Jackson's Mongoose occurs in isolated populations and appears to be rare.There is no reliable data on its population, though. The International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2008 classified it as Near Threatened
Near Threatened
Near Threatened is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status...
, almost qualifying as Threatened
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
. This was justified with its assumed decline in population size
Population size
In population genetics and population ecology, population size is the number of individual organisms in a population.The effective population size is defined as "the number of breeding individuals in an idealized population that would show the same amount of dispersion of allele frequencies under...
of 20 to 25 percent within the last 15 years due to habitat destruction
Habitat destruction
Habitat destruction is the process in which natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. In this process, the organisms that previously used the site are displaced or destroyed, reducing biodiversity. Habitat destruction by human activity mainly for the purpose of...
. Given its dependence on forest habitat, its main threat is likely to be ongoing forest loss. It was classified as Insufficiently Known in 1988, 1990 and 1994 and as Vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
in 1996.
Several populations of Jackson's Mongoose are in protected area
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
s including Aberdare National Park
Aberdare National Park
- External links :* * * *...
, Mount Kenya National Park
Mount Kenya National Park
Mount Kenya National Park, established in 1949, protects the region surrounding Mount Kenya. Initially it was a forest reserve before being announced as a national park. Currently the national park is within the forest reserve which encircles it. In April 1978 the area was designated a UNESCO...
, probably Mount Elgon National Park
Mount Elgon National Park
Mount Elgon National Park is a national park 140 km North East of Lake Victoria. The park covers an area of 1279 km² and is bisected by the border of Kenya and Uganda. The Ugandan part of the park covers 1110 km² while the Kenyan part covers 169 km²...
and Udzungwa Mountains National Park
Udzungwa Mountains National Park
Udzungwa Mountains National Park is a national park in Tanzania. The habitats contained within the national park include tropical rainforest, mountain forest, miombo woodland, grassland and steppe. There is a vertical height range of 250–2,576 metres , which incorporates the Udzunga Mountains part...
. In Tanzania all confirmed localities are within protected areas. It is also probably more widely distributed than currently known. De Luca and Rovero (2006) recommend the full protection of forests adjacent to the Udzungwa Mountains National Park and a survey of other East African groundwater-dependent forests for its presence.
External links
on the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesIUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
—with distribution map
- Bdeogale jacksoni on Mammals of Tanzania—with photos of animal and skull