Servaline Genet
Encyclopedia
The Servaline Genet is a species
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 carnivore
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...

 of the family Viverridae, 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. Like all 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....

s, it is outwardly feline
Felidae
Felidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the strictest carnivores of the thirteen terrestrial families in the order Carnivora, although the three families of marine mammals comprising the superfamily pinnipedia are as carnivorous as the...

, although not a close relative of the cat family
Felidae
Felidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the strictest carnivores of the thirteen terrestrial families in the order Carnivora, although the three families of marine mammals comprising the superfamily pinnipedia are as carnivorous as the...

.

Subspecies

A number of 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 servaline are recognised. These include:
  • Lowe's Servaline Genet (G. s. lowei). For many years this was only known from the type specimen, a single pelt collected in 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...

    , 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...

    , in 1932. It was rediscovered during a live trapping survey in 2000, and made the news in 2002 when it was photo-trapped in Udzungwa for the first time. It has since been caught in camera traps in the Uluguru
    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...

     and Nguru
    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...

     ranges, raising the possibility that it is even more widely distributed in Tanzania's 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...

    .

  • The Zanzibar Servaline Genet
    Zanzibar Servaline Genet
    The Zanzibar Servaline Genet is a recently discovered subspecies of Servaline Genet endemic to Unguja Island in the Tanzanian archipelago of Zanzibar. Its conservation status is uncertain.- Evolutionary history :...

     (G. s. archeri) is endemic to Unguja Island
    Unguja
    Unguja as mentioned in The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea is the largest and most populated island of Zanzibar, in Tanzania.-Geography:...

    , Zanzibar
    Zanzibar
    Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...

    . It only became known to science in 1995 when a skin and skull were obtained in Kitogani village in south-central Unguja. A number of individuals were photo-trapped for the first time in January 2003 in nearby Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park.


The endangered Crested Servaline Genet (G. cristata) was also considered to be a subspecies of the Servaline Genet, but is now generally regarded as a valid species.

External links

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