Poecilogale albinucha
Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Synapsida
Cladus: Eupelycosauria
Cladus: Sphenacodontia
Cladus: Sphenacodontoidea
Cladus: Therapsida
Cladus: Theriodontia
Subordo: Cynodontia
Infraordo: Eucynodontia
Cladus: Probainognathia
Cladus: Prozostrodontia
Cladus: Mammaliaformes
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Trechnotheria
Infraclassis: Zatheria
Supercohors: Theria
Cohors: Eutheria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Cladus: Boreoeutheria
Superordo: Laurasiatheria
Cladus: Ferae
Ordo: Carnivora
Subordo: Caniformia
Infraordo: Arctoidea
Superfamilia: Musteloidea
Familia: Mustelidae
Subfamilia: Mustelinae
Genus: Poecilogale
Species: Poecilogale albinucha
Subspecies: P. a. albinucha – P. a. bechuanae – P. a. doggetti – P. a. lebombo – P. a. transvaalensis
Name
Poecilogale albinucha (Gray, 1864)
Type locality: "it was without any habitat". Fixed by Coetzee (1977b) as "Cape Colony".
References
Gray, J. E. 1864. Notice of a new species of zorilla. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1864: 69, plate X.
Coetzee, C. G. 1977. Order Carnivora. Part 8. Pp. 1-42, in The mammals of Africa: An identification manual (J. Meester and H. W. Setzer, eds.) [issued 22 Aug 1977]. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., not continuously paginated.
Serge Larivière, 2001. Poecilogale albinucha, Mammalian Species, American Society of Mammologists, 681: 1–4.
Links
Poecilogale albinucha in Mammal Species of the World.
Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn M. (Editors) 2005. Mammal Species of the World – A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Third edition. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4.
IUCN: Poecilogale albinucha (Gray, 1864) (Least Concern)
Poecilogale albinucha (Gray, 1864) – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
Vernacular names
Afrikaans: Slangmuishond
English: African Striped Weasel
español: Comadreja rayada africana
polski: Łasica afrykańska
Türkçe: Afrika şeritli gelinciği
中文: 白頸鼬
isiZulu: Nyengelezi
The African striped weasel (Poecilogale albinucha), the lone member of the genus Poecilogale, is a small, black and white weasel native to sub-Saharan Africa.
Description
The African striped weasel is one of the smallest mammalian carnivores in Africa, and has an elongated body and short legs. Adults have a head-body length of 27 to 32 cm (11 to 13 in), with the tail adding a further 16 to 20 cm (6.3 to 7.9 in). Males are larger than females, weighing an average of 339 g (12.0 oz), compared with 251 g (8.9 oz). The fur is mostly black, with four white to pale yellowish bands running down the back, a white patch on the top of the head, and a white tail.[2]
The head is elongated, with small eyes, a short, broad snout, and short ears. The carnassial teeth are short, and the canine teeth long. The claws are sharp and curved, and the tail is long and bushy. Females typically have four teats. Like many other mustelids, the African striped weasel has well-developed scent glands in the perineal region that can spray a noxious fluid when the animal feels threatened.[2]
Distribution and habitat
African striped weasels inhabit much of Africa south of the equator. They are found from the Democratic Republic of the Congo across to Kenya in the north, and as far south as southern South Africa. Within this region, they are most common in savannah habitats, but may also be found in forests and grasslands.[1] They commonly live below 1,500 m (4,900 ft) elevation, but may occasionally be found as high as 2,200 m (7,200 ft).[2]
Behaviour
African striped weasels are nocturnal hunters of small mammals, birds, and reptiles, but feed almost entirely on rodents of their own size or smaller.[3] The weasels hunt primarily by scent, attacking prey with a sudden lunge and striking at the back of the neck. After the initial strike, they kill by whipping their own bodies and kicking, making use of their thin, lithe, muscular build to stun and tear the prey item.[3] They sometimes store prey in their burrow instead of eating it immediately.
The weasel is generally solitary,[3] but individuals sometimes pair up to dig burrows.[2] They are effective diggers, but may sometimes rest in natural cavities such as hollow logs or rock crevices. They deposit dung in well-defined latrine locations, possibly as a means of scent marking.[2] Males are aggressive when they encounter one another, at first fluffing their tails, making short cries and fake charges, and then escalating to fighting with bites, shaking, and aggressive shrieks if neither individual retreats.[2]
African striped weasels have been identified as making six different calls. Apart from the warning and aggressive calls mentioned above, and a third call that transitions between the two, another call signals submission of a retreating male, another call indicates surrender during a fight, and a greeting call is used only between males and females and between young and their mother. Young weasels also make distress calls when separated from their mother.[4]
Reproduction
Mating occurs between spring and summer, and includes at least three bouts of copulation, each lasting 60 to 80 minutes, in a single 24-hour period.[2][5] Females give birth to a single litter of two or three young after a gestation period of 30 days.[2]
The young are born in a burrow, and are initially blind and hairless, weighing just 4 g (0.14 oz) each. Their canine teeth erupt at 5 weeks, and their eyes open after 7 weeks. By 11 weeks of age, they are weaned, and they start killing their own prey at 13 weeks. They reach the full adult size at 20 weeks, and are sexually mature at 8 months.[5]
In folklore
According to African folklore, if one cuts off the nose of a weasel, it will grow back two shades lighter in colour, but it will bring misfortune to the family and lead to a poor harvest. This myth gave birth to expression, "A weasel's nose is not to be trifled with."[6]
Diet
African striped weasels mainly feed on mice and other small rodents. They also occasionally feed on birds and eggs.
References
Wikispecies has information related to Poecilogale albinucha.
Stuart, C.; Stuart, M.; Do Linh San, E. (2015). "Poecilogale albinucha". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T41662A45215258. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T41662A45215258.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
Larivière, S. (2001). "Poecilogale albinucha". Mammalian Species (681): Number 681: pp. 1–4. doi:10.1644/1545-1410(2001)681<0001:PA>2.0.CO;2. S2CID 198968615.
Rowe, D.T. (1978). "Comparative prey capture and food studies of South African mustelines". Mammalia. 42 (2): 175–196. doi:10.1515/mamm.1978.42.2.175. S2CID 86428873.
Channing, A.; Rowe, D.T. (1977). "Vocalizations of South African mustelines". Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie. 44 (3): 283–293. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.1977.tb00996.x. PMID 930442.
Rowe, D.T. (1978). "Reproduction and postnatal development of South African mustelines (Carnivores: Mustelidae)". Zoologica Africana. 13 (1): 103–114. doi:10.1080/00445096.1978.11447609. hdl:10499/AJ24051.
Brilliant, Todd. "Poecilogale albinucha (African striped weasel)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
P. albinucha at Animal Diversity
Nowak, Ronald M. (2005). Walker's Carnivores of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press. ISBN 0-8018-8032-7
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